THE  SILVER  CROSS 


IWTV.  OP  CALIF.  LIBRARY.  LOS 


THE  FULL  SERIES  OF 

nf 


History  of  a  Proletarian  Family 
Across  the  Ages 


EU 


N 


UE 


Consisting  of  the  Following  Works: 

THE  GOLD  SICKLE ;  or,  Hena  the  Virgin  of  the  Isle  of  Sen. 
THE  BRASS  BELL;  or,  The  Chariot  of  Death. 
THE  IRON  COLLAR;  or,  Faustine  and  Syomara. 
THE  SILVER  CROSS;  or,  The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth. 
THE  CASQUE'S  LARK;  or,  Victoria,  the  Mother  of  the  Camps. 
THE  PONIARD'S  HILT;  or,  Karadeucq  and  Ronan. 
THE  BRANDING  NEEDLE;  or,  The  Monastery  of  CharoUes. 
THE  ABBATIAL  CROSIER;  or,  Bonaik  and  Septimine. 
THE     CARLOVINGIAN     COINS;     or,     The     Daughters     of 

Charlemagne. 

THE  IRON  ARROW-HEAD;  or,   The  Buckler  Maiden. 
THE  INFANTS  SKULL;   or,  The  End  of  the  World. 
THE  PILGRIM'S  SHELL;  or,  Fergan  the  Quarryman. 
THE  IRON  PINCERS;   or,  Mylio  and  Karvel. 
THE  IRON  TREVET;    or    Jocelyn  the   Champion. 
THE  EXECUTIONER'S  KNIFE;  or,  Joan  of  Arc. 
THE  POCKET  BIBLE;  or,  Christian  the  Printer. 
THE  BLACKSMITH'S  HAMMER;  or,  The  Peasant  Code. 
THE  SWORD  OF  HONOR;  or,  The  Foundation  of  the  French 

Republic 
THE  GALLEY  SLAVE'S  RING;  or,  The  Family  Lebrenn. 


Published    Uniform    With   This   Volume    By 

THE    NEW    YORK    LABOR    NEWS    CO. 


28    CITY    HALL    PLACE 


NEW    YORK    CITY 


THE  SILVER  CROSS 

::       ::      OR      ::      :: 

THE  CARPENTER  OF  NAZARETH 


A     Tale      of     Jerusalem 
By        EUGENE       SUE 


TRANSLATED       FROM       THE       ORIGINAL       FRENCH 

By      DANIEL      DELEON 

NEW      YORK       LABOR       NEWS       COMPANY.       1909 


Copyright.  1909.  by  the 
NEW  YORK  LABOR  NEWS  CO. 


INDEX 

TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE   vii 

INTRODUCTION   1 

I.    A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S 3 

II.    JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE 32 

III.  THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS 42 

IV.  THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH 58 

V.    THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON 80 

VI.    GENEVIEVE'S   MARTYRDOM 102 

VII.     THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES 113 

VIII.     BEFORE   CAIAPHAS 124 

IX.     ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE ! 134 

X.     BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE 144 

XI.     IN  THE  COURT  OF  THE  PRAETORIUM 161 

XII.    GOLGOTHA   171 

EPILOGUE  187 


2133415 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

Of  the  series  of  nineteen  historic  novels  that  comprise 
Eugene  Sue's  work  entitled  The  Mysteries  of  the  People; 
or,  History  of  a  Proletarian  Family  Across  the  Ages,  the 
first  four  may  be  called  the  overture  to  the  historic  drama 
that  really  starts  with  the  fifth — The  Casque's  Lark;  or, 
Victoria,  the  Mother  of  the  Camps,  when  the  two  dis- 
tinct streams  of  the  typically  oppressed  and  typical  op- 
pressor meet — and  closes  with  the  nineteenth — The  Gal- 
ley Slave's  Ring;  or,  The  Family  of  Lebrenn,  bringing 
history  down  to  the  year  1848.  The  introductory  period 
closes  with  this,  the  fourth  story,  The  Silver  Cross;  or, 
The  Carpenter  of  Nazareth.  While  the  first  of  the  intro- 
ductory stories — The  Gold  Sickle;  or,  Hena,  the  Virgin 
of  the  Isle  of  Sen — portrays  the  Gallic  people,  pure,  brave, 
industrious  but  unorganized ;  while  the  second — The  Brass 
Bell;  or,  The  Chariot  of  Death — narrates  the  enslavement 
of  this  people,  as  the  inevitable  consequence  of  their  un- 
organized condition,  which  not  all  their  virtues  could 
parry;  while  the  third — The  Iron  Collar;  or,  Faustina  and 
Syomara — describes  Roman  society  with  an  eye  especially 
to  the  brutality  that  the  slave  was  subjected  to,  and  the 
brutalizing  effect  thereof  upon  the  slaveholder  himself; — 
while  these  three  stories  unfold  the  gradual  breakdown  of 
society  under  the  Roman  sway,  this,  the  fourth,  summar- 
izes the  preceding  ones  in  the  grand  climax  of  the  political 
upheaval  which  the  Tragedy  of  Calvary,  though  expected 
to,  was  not  able  to  burke. 

Although  Sue's  Mysteries  of  the  People;  or,  History 
of  a  Proletarian  Family  is  a  "work  of  fiction,"  yet  it  is 
the  best  universal  history  extant;  better  than  any  work, 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE. 

avowedly  on  history,  it  graphically  traces  the  special  fea- 
tures of  the  several  systems  of  class-rule  as  they  have  suc- 
ceeded each  other  from  epoch  to  epoch,  together  with  the 
nature  of  the  struggle  between  the  contending  classes.  The 
"Law,"  "Order,"  "Patriotism,"  "Religion,"  etc.,  etc.,  that 
each  successive  tyrant  class,  despite  its  change  of  form, 
hysterically  sought  refuge  in  to  justify  its  criminal  exist- 
ence whenever  threatened;  the  varying  economic  causes  of 
the  oppression  of  the  toilers;  the  mistakes  incurred  by 
these  in  their  struggles  for  redress;  the  varying  fortunes 
of  the  conflict; — all  these  social  dramas  are  therein  repro- 
duced in  a  majestic  series  of  "historic  novels,"  covering 
leading  and  successive  episodes  in  the  history  of  the  race. 

The  present  story — The  Silver  Cross;  or,  The  Car- 
penter of  Nazareth — is  a  marvellous  presentation  of  one 
of  the  world's  leading  events  in  a  garb  without  which  that 
event  is  stripped  of  its  beauty  and  significance.  As  the 
narrative  rushes  onward  thrillingly  from  start  to  catas- 
trophe, it  delineates  one  after  another  the  leading  features 
of  the  oppressors'  class — their  unity  of  action,  despite 
hostile  politico-material  interests  and  clashing  creed  ten- 
ets; the  hypocrisy  that  typifies  them  all;  the  oneness  of 
fundamental  purpose  that  animates  pulpit,  professional 
chair,  or  public  office  in  possession  of  a  plundering  class. 
Page  after  page  holds  the  mirror  up  to  the  modern  ruling 
class — its  orators,  pulpiteers,  politicians,  lawyers,  together 
with  its  long  train  of  menials  of  high  and  low  degree — 
and,  by  the  reflection  cast,  enlightens  and  warns. 

DANIEL  DE  LEON. 

Milford,  Conn.,  May,  1909. 


INTRODUCTION. 


I,  Fergan,  the  grandson  of  Sylvest,  unable  to  do  bet- 
ter, wish  to  add  this  introduction  to  the  following  story 
written  by  my  wife,  Genevieve,  for  our  family  archives, 
£s  a  sequel  to  the  narrative  of  my  grandfather. 

Genevieve  was  my  foster  sister,  and  later  became  my 
wife.  Shortly  after  our  marriage  she  was  hired  from 
my  master  as  a  washerwoman  by  a  Roman  residing  in 
Marseilles  and  named  Gremion,  a  relative  of  my  grand- 
father's  first  master,  and  agent  of  the  Roman  fisc. 

The  dominion  of  the  Romans  then  extended  from 
one  end  of  the  world  to  the  other.  Judea  had  become 
subject  to  them  as  a  dependency  of  the  province  of 
Syria,  which  was  governed  by  a  Roman  Prefect. 

From  the  port  of  Marseilles  vessels  often  took  sail 
for  the  country  of  the  Israelites.  Gremion,  a  relative 
of  the  Procurator  of  Judea,  named  Pontius  Pilate,  was 
appointed  the  successor  of  the  Tribune  of  the  Treasury, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  oversee  the  collection  of  taxes  in 
that  country.  Wherever  the  Roman  dominion  planted 
itself,  the  collection  of  taxes  was  at  the  same  time 
organized. 

Aurelia,  the  wife  of  Gremion,  who  had  hired  my  wife 
Genevieve  as  a  washerwoman,  was  so  pleased  with  her 


a  INTRODUCTION. 

kind  manners  and  her  attention  to  work,  that  she 
wished  to  keep  her  near  her  during  her  long  voyage 
to  the  country  of  the  Israelites.  She  begged  her  hus- 
band to  purchase  Genevieve,  and  he  did  so. 

The  gods  were  kind  to  us.  Aurelia  was  of  that  small 
number  of  Roman  dames  who  were  benign  towards 
their  slaves.  Young,  handsome,  of  a  lively  and  sport- 
ive disposition,  Aurelia  was  not  likely  to  render  servi- 
tude too  harsh  to  my  wife.  This  consideration  miti- 
gated my  sorrow  at  our  separation.  I  had  become  quite 
skilled  at  my  weaver 's  trade,  and  yielded  large  returns 
to  the  fiscal  agents,  who  hired  me  out  to  other  masters. 

It  was,  accordingly,  towards  the  fifteenth  year  of 
the  reign  of  Tiberius  that  my  wife  departed  from 
Marseilles  with  Aurelia,  her  mistress,  for  Judea. 

The  events  in  the  following  narrative  were  written 
by  Genevieve  a  year  ago,  after  her  return  from  her 
voyage.  My  own  life  has  been  until  now  so  monoto- 
nous and  insignificant  that  an  account  of  it  would 
make  a  poor  showing  in  the  archives  of  my  family. 
As  to  Genevieve 's  experience,  although  she  relates 
some  adventures  that  are  of  but  little  importance,  and 
which  occurred  in  the  land  of  the  Hebrews  during  her 
sojourn  in  Jerusalem,  it  will  have  at  least  the  attrac- 
tion that  a  very  distant  and  little  known  country  hap- 
pens to  be  its  theater. 


CHAPTER  I. 
A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S. 

On  that  evening  there  was  a  great  supper  party  at 
the  mansion  of  Pontius  Pilate,  the  Procurator  in  the 
country  of  the  Israelites  for  the  Emperor  Tiberius. 

Towards  the  decline  of  day  the  most  brilliant  com- 
pany met  at  the  mansion  of  the  Roman  seigneur.  The 
house,  like  those  of  all  rich  persons  of  that  country, 
was  built  of  hewn  stone,  plastered  over  with  chalk,  and 
covered  with  a  wash  of  a  reddish  color.1 

The  sumptuous  residence  was  reached  through  a 
square  yard,  surrounded  with  marble  pillars  that 
formed  a  gallery.  In  the  center  of  the  yard  a  foun- 
tain spouted  jets  of  limpid  water,  imparting  an  agree- 
able coolness  under  the  burning  sun  of  Arabia.  A 
tall  palm  tree,  planted  close  to  the  fountain,  shaded  it 
with  its  foliage  by  day.  From  the  square  yard  one 
stepped  into  a  vestibule  filled  with  servants,  and  from 
there  into  the  banquet  hall,  the  walls  of  which  were 
panelled  in  sandalwood  encrusted  with  ivory. 

Around  the  table  lay  couches  of  cedar  wood,  covered 
with  rich  draperies,  on  which  the  guests  sat  to  eat. 
According  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  each  of  the 

1  Jeremiah,  22.14. 


*  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

dames  present  at  the  supper  had  brought  with  her 
one  of  her  female  slaves,  who  stood  behind  her  during 
the  repast.  It  was  in  this  way  that  Genevieve,  the  wife 
of  Fergan,  witnessed  the  scenes  which  she  is  about  to 
describe,  having  accompanied  her  mistress  Aurelia  to 
the  residence  of  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate. 

The  company  was  select.  Prominent  among  the  men 
of  greatest  note  were  Seigneur  Baruch,  a  Senator  and 
doctor  of  law;  Seigneur  Chuza,  the  intendant  of  the 
residence  of  Herod,  Tetrarch  or  Prince  of  Judea  under 
the  protection  of  Rome;  Seigneur  Gremion,  recently 
arrived  from  Roman  Gaul  in  the  capacity  of  Tribune 
of  the  Treasury  in  Judea;  Seigneur  Jonas,  one  of  the 
richest  bankers  of  Jerusalem;  and,  finally,  Seigneur 
Caiaphas,  one  of  the  Princes  of  the  Church  of  the 
Hebrews. 

Among  the  dames  at  the  supper  table  were  Lucretia, 
the  wife  of  Pontius  Pilate;  Aurelia,  the  wife  of  Gre- 
mion; and  Joanna,  the  wife  of  Chuza.1 

The  two  handsomest  dames  of  the  company  that  took 
eupper  on  that  evening  at  the  mansion  of  Pontius  Pilate 
were  Joanna  and  Aurelia.  Joanna  had  the  beauty  that 
is  peculiar  to  Orientals — large  black  eyes  that  were  at 
once  gentle  and  warm,  and  teeth  of  a  whiteness  that 
her  brunette  complexion  rendered  all  the  more  daz- 
zling. Her  turban,  made  of  a  costly  Tyrian  material 
of  purple  color,  and  held  together  by  a  thick  chain  of 
gold,  the  ends  of  which  fell  one  on  each  of  her  shoul- 

1Lukc.   8.3. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  5 

ders,  framed  her  forehead,  which  two  heavy  braids  of 
black  hair  partly  concealed.  She  was  clad  in  a  long 
white  robe  which  left  exposed  her  arms,  richly  circled 
with  gold  bracelets.  Over  her  robe,  and  held  at  the 
waist  by  a  purple  scarf  of  like  material  with  her  tur- 
ban, she  wore  a  sort  of  sleeveless  vest  of  orange-colored 
silk.  Joanna's  beautiful  features  bore  the  stamp  of 
sweetness,  and  her  smile  was  expressive  of  charming 
kindness. 

Aurelia,  the  wife  of  Gremion,  born  of  Roman  par- 
ents in  the  south  of  France,  was  also  beautiful.  She 
was  dressed  after  the  fashion  of  her  own  country — two 
tunics,  one  long  and  of  rose  color,  the  other  short  and 
blue.  A  net  of  gold  thread  held  her  auburn  hair.  Her 
skin  was  as  white  as  Joanna's  was  brown.  Her  large 
blue  eyes  danced  with  delight,  and  her  cheerful  smile 
proclaimed  unalterable  good  temper. 

Senator  Baruch,  one  of  the  most  learned  doctors  in 
the  law,  occupied  the  place  of  honor  at  the  supper. 
He  seemed  to  be  a  great  glutton.  His  green  turban 
leaned  almost  the  whole  time  over  his  plate.  He  even 
had  to  loosen  two  or  three  times  the  belt  that  held  his 
Jong  velvet  robe,  ornamented  with  a  long  silver  fringe. 
The  gluttony  of  the  fat  Senator  drew  several  times 
smiles  and  mutual  whispers  from  Joanna  and  Aurelia, 
new  friends  as  they  were,  who  sat  beside  each  other,  and 
behind  whom  stood  Genevieve,  losing  not  a  word  that 
passed  between  them,  and  no  less  attentive  to  all  that 
the  other  guests  said. 


«  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Seigneur  Jonas,  one  of  the  wealthiest  bankers  of 
Jerusalem,  with  a  little  yellow  turban  on  his  head  and 
clad  in  a  brown  robe,  wore  a  grey  and  pointed  beard. 
He  resembled  a  bird  of  prey.  Off  and  on  he  spoke  in 
ft  low  voice  to  the  doctor  of  law,  who  rarely  answered 
him,  never  ceasing  to  eat,  while  the  High  Priest  Caia- 
l>has,  Gremion,  Pontius  Pilate  and  the  other  person- 
ages conversed  among  themselves. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  supper,  the  doctor  of  law, 
having  at  last  had  his  fill,  wiped  his  greasy  beard  with 
the  back  of  his  hand,  and  addressed  the  recently  ar- 
rived Tribune  of  the  Treasury,  saying: 

"Seigneur  Gremion,  are  you  beginning  to  accustom 
yourself  to  the  ways  of  our  poor  country?  Oh!  It 
must  be  a  great  change  to  you  who  come  from  Roman 
Gaul — what  a  long  voyage  you  have  made!" 

"I  like  to  see  new  countries,"  answered  Gremion; 
"and  I  shall  have  frequent  occasion  to  travel  over  your 
country  overseeing  the  tax  collectors." 

"Unfortunately  for  Seigneur  Gremion,"  put  in  the 
banker  Jonas,  "he  arrives  in  Judea  in  sad  and  evil 
days." 

"Why  so,  seigneur?"  asked  Gremion. 

"Are  not  times  of  civil  disturbances  always  evil 
times?"  answered  the  banker. 

"No  doubt,  Seigneur  Jonas;  but  what  disturbances 
do  you  mean?" 

"My  friend  Jonas,"  replied  Baruch,  the  doctor  of 
law,  "refers  to  the  deplorable  disorders  that  a  vasra- 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S-  1 

bond  of  Nazareth  leaves  behind  him  in  his  wake  wher- 
ever he  goes,  and  which  grow  worse  every  day." 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  Gremion,  "that  former  carpenter  of 
Galilee,  who  was  born  in  a  stable,  and  is  the  son  of  a 
plowmaker.  I  heard  it  said  that  he  goes  all  over  the 
country — how  did  you  call  him?" 

"If  he  were  given  the  name  he  deserves,"  cried  the 
doctor  of  law  angrily,  "he  would  be  called  the  Scamp — 
the  Impious — the  Seditious — but  he  carries  the  name  of 
Jesus." 

"An  idle  ranter,"  interjected  Pontius  Pilate,  with  a 
shrug  of  his  shoulders  after  emptying  his  cup.  "A 
fool  prating  to  geese." 

' '  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate ! ' '  cried  the  doctor  of  law 
in  a  reproachful  tone.  "How!  You  who  represent  in 
this  country  the  august  Emperor  Tiberius,  the  pro- 
tector of  us  peaceful  and  honest  folks,  seeing  that,  but 
for  your  troops,  the  populace  would  long  ago  have 
risen  in  revolt  against  Herod  our  Prince — you  remain 
indifferent  to  the  acts  and  doings  of  that  Nazarene! 
You  dismiss  him  as  a  fool!  Oh,  Seigneur  Pontius 
Pilate,  this  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  warned  you  that 
fools  like  that  one  are  political  pests!" 

"And  I  repeat  it,  my  seigneurs,"  replied  Pontius 
Pilate,  holding  out  his  empty  cup  to  the  slave  behind 
him.  "I  repeat  it,  you  alarm  yourselves  unnecessarily. 
Let  the  Nazarene  preach  at  his  ease,  his  words  will 
blow  over  like  the  wind." 

"Seigneur  Baruch,"  asked  Joanna,    in    her    sweet 


8  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

voice,  "why  do  you  entertain  such  a  bitter  hatred  for 
that  young  man  of  Nazareth?  You  never  hear  his 
name  mentioned  without  becoming  enraged." 

"Yes,  I  hate  that  Nazarene,"  answered  the  doctor 
of  law.  "My  hatred  is  justified  by  his  conduct.  The 
wretch,  who  respects  nothing,  has  not  only  insulted 
me,  me,  personally,  but  he  has  gone  farther;  he  has 
insulted  all  my  fellow  Senators  in  my  person.  Do  you 
know  what  he  dared  to  say  on  the  square  of  the  Tem- 
ple, as  he  saw  me  walk  by?" 

"Well,  what  did  he  say,  Seigneur  Baruch?"  Joanna 
persisted,  smiling.  "It  must  have  been  something 
frightful!" 

"It  was  abominable,  monstrous!  That  is  what  it 
was,"  replied  the  doctor  of  law.  "Well,  as  I  said,  I 
was  crossing  the  square  of  the  Temple;  I  was  coming 
from  dinner  at  my  friend  Samuel's.  On  my  way  I  en- 
countered a  group  of  beggars  all  in  rags — workmen, 
camel-drivers,  fellows  who  let  out  asses,  women  of  ill 
repute,  children  in  tatters,  and  other  people  of  the 
most  dangerous  sort.  They  stood  listening  to  a  young 
man  who  had  mounted  upon  a  stone  and  was  perorating 
at  the  top  of  his  voice.  Suddenly  he  pointed  his  finger 
at  me.  All  the  other  vagabonds  turned  around  to  see 
me,  and  I  heard  the  Nazarene,  it  was  he,  you  must 
know,  say  to  his  audience  of  rag-tag  and  bob-tail: 
'Beware  of  the  doctors  of  the  law  which  love  to  go  in 
long  clothing,  and  love  salutations  in  the  market  places, 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  » 

and  the  chief  seats  in  the  synagogues,  and  the  upper- 
most rooms  at  feasts.'  m 

"You  must  admit,  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate,"  ob- 
served the  banker  Jonas,  ' '  that  it  is  impossible  to  carry 
the  audacity  of  personality  any  further  than  that — " 

"To  me  it  seems,"  whispered  Aurelia  to  Joanna, 
laughing  and  calling  her  attention  to  the  circumstance 
that  the  doctor  of  law  actually  occupied  the  place  of 
honor  at  the  feast,  "to  me  it  seems  that  Seigneur  Ba- 
ruch  has,  indeed,  a  fondness  for  the  best  places." 

"That  is  why  he  is  angry  at  the  young  man  of  Naz- 
areth, who  holds  hypocrisy  in  horror,"  answered  Jo- 
anna, while  Seigneur  Baruch  proceeded,  more  and  more 
incensed : 

"But,  my  dear  seigneurs,  there  are  still  worse  abom- 
inations to  follow.  'Beware,'  the  inciter  to  sedition 
proceeded  to  yell,  'beware  of  the  doctors  of  the  law 
tor  they  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pretence 
make  long  prayers;  these  shall  receive  greater  damna- 
tion.'2 Yes,  those  are  the  very  words  that  I  heard  the 
Nazarene  utter.  And,  now,  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate, 
I  solemnly  declare  to  you  that,  if  you  do  not  suppress 
as  speedily  as  possible  the  unbridled  license  which 
dares  to  assail  the  authority  of  the  doctors  of  the  law, 
that  is  to  say,  Law  and  Authority  themselves — if  Sen- 
ators can  thus  with  impunity  be  pointed  out  to  the 
hatred  and  contempt  of  the  public — if  that  can  be, 
then  it  is  done  for  society ! ' ' 

1Mark,  12.38.  39. 
'Mark,   12.40. 


10  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Let  him  taik,"  observed  Pontius  Pilate  with  phil- 
osophic composure,  and  again  emptying  his  cup.  "Let 
him  talk,  and  you  enjoy  your  lives  unmolested." 

"Enjoy  one's  life  unmolested,  Seigneur  Pontius 
Pilate,  when  one  foresees  grave  disasters?"  exclaimed 
the  banker  Jonas.  "I  must  confess  that  the  fears  of 
ray  worthy  friend  Baruch  are  but  too  well  founded. 
Yes,  I  say  with  him,  it  is  done  for  society.  The  audac- 
ity of  this  carpenter  of  Nazareth  transcends  every- 
thing. There  is  nothing  that  he  respects.  Yesterday 
it  was  Law  and  Authority  that  he  assailed  in  their 
representatives.  To-day  it  is  the  rich  against  whom  he 
arouses  the  dregs  of  the  populace.  Did  he  not  venture 
to  utter  this  execrable  sentiment:  'It  is  easier  for  a 
camel  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle,  than  for  a 
rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God'?"1 

At  this  citation  by  Seigneur  Jonas  all  the  guests  ex- 
claimed in  chorus  : 

"Abominable!" 

"We  are  marching  towards  an  abyss!" 

"According  to  that,  all  of  us,  as  we  sit  here,  who 
have  gold  in  our  coffers,  are  condemned  to  eternal 
fire!" 

"The  idea  of  comparing  us  to  cables  that  can  not 
pass  through  the  eye  of  a  needle !" 

"And  these  monstrosities  are  said  and  repeated  by 
the  Nazarene  to  the  dregs  of  the  populace!" 

"With  intent  to  incite  them  to  loot  the  rich — " 

1  MatUiewT  19.24. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  11 

"Is  not  that  a  despicable  way  of  flattering  the  de- 
testable passions  of  the  mob  of  tattered  beggars  in 
whom  Jesus  of  Nazareth  takes  so  much  delight,  and 
with  whom,  it  is  said,  he  gets  regularly  drunk?"1 

"I  find  it  hard  to  blame  the  young  fellow  for  loving 
wine,"  remarked  Pontius  Pilate,  laughing  heartily, 
and  again  holding  out  his  cup  to  his  slave.  "Guzzlers 
are  not  dangerous  people." 

"But  not  yet  is  that  all,"  put  in  Caiaphas,  the  High 
Priest.  "The  Nazarene  does  not  only  outrage  Law, 
and  Authority,  and  Property — he  attacks  with  no  less 
brazenness  the  religion  of  our  fathers.  For  instance, 
it  is  expressly  ordered  in  Deuteronomy:  'Unto  the 
stranger  thou  mayest  lend  upon  usury;  but  unto  thy 
brother  thou  shalt  not  lend  upon  usury.'2  Note  well 
the  first  words:  Unto  the  stranger  thou  mayest  lend 
upon  usury.  Well,  now,  in  utter  contempt  for  the  pre- 
scriptions of  our  holy  religion,  the  Nazarene  arrogates 
to  himself  the  right  to  say:  'Do  good,  and  lend,  hop- 
ing for  nothing  again,'3  and  he  takes  particular  care 
to  add:  'Ye  can  not  serve  God  and  mammon.'*  So 
that  religion  expressly  declares  it  is  permissible  to 
draw  profit  on  your  money  from  strangers,  and  the 
Nazarene,  blaspheming  Holy  "Writ  in  one  of  its  most 
important  dogmas,  denies  what  it  affirms,  forbids  what 
it  allows." 

"My  condition  of  a  pagan,"  replied  Pontius  Pilate, 
thrown  into  a  rollicking  mood  by  his  copious  potations, 


»Luke.   7.34.  •  Luke,  6.35. 

•Deuteronomy,  23.20.  «Luke»   16.18. 


12  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"does  not  allow  me  to  take  part  in  such  a  discussion. 
While  you  are  at  it,  I  shall  silently  to  myself  invoke 
our  God  Bacchus — wine,  slave!  Wine!" 

"Nevertheless,  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate,"  objected 
the  banker  Jonas,  who  seemed  hardly  able  to  restrain 
his  irritation  at  the  Roman's  indifference,  "even  if 
we  pass  by  what  there  is  of  sacrilegious  in  this  propo- 
sition of  the  Nazarene,  you  will  have  to  admit  that  it 
is  downright  insanity.  With  such  notions,  good-bye  to 
all  commerce!" 

"It  means  the  ruin  of  public  fortune!" 
"What  am  I  to  do  with  the  gold  in  my  coffers  if  I 
were  not  to  draw  profit  on  it,  if  I  were  to  lend,  hoping 
for  nothing  again?    It  is  to  make  one  laugh — were  it 
not  so  odious — " 

"Nor  is  it  the  case  of  an  isolated  attack  aimed  at 
our  holy  religion,"  proceeded  Caiaphas  to  explain. 
"With  the  Nazarene,  it  is  a  settled  policy  to  outrage 
and  undermine  the  faith  of  our  fathers.  Let  me  give 
you  another  instance.  The  other  day  the  sick  were 
bathing  in  the  pool  of  Bethesda.  That  day  was  the 
Sabbath.  Now,  you  know,  my  seigneurs,  how  solemn 
and  sacred  is  the  prohibition  against  doing  any  man- 
ner of  work  on  the  Sabbath." 

"To  all  religious  people  it  is  impiousness. " 
"Now,  watch  the  conduct  of  the  Nazarene,"  Caia- 
phas proceeded.     "He  goes  to  the  pool,  and  note  in 
passing  that,  with  cunning  villainy,  he  never  accepts  a 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S-  1* 

denier  for  his  cures.  Among  others,  he  finds  there  a 
nian  with  a  dislocated  foot — he  sets  it — " 

' '  What !  On  the  Sabbath ! ' ' 

"Abomination  and  desolation!" 

"To  heal  a  patient  on  the  Sabbath — sacrilege!" 

"Yes,  my  seigneurs,"  answered  the  priest  with  a 
mournful  voice;  "he  committed  the  sacrilege!"1 

"If  the  young  man  had  failed  to  restore  the  patient 
to  the  use  of  his  foot,"  whispered  Aurelia  to  Jo- 
anna, smiling,  "I  could  understand  their  rage." 

"Such  ungodliness,"  added  Doctor  Baruch,  "such 
ungodliness  deserves  the  severest  punishment — it  is  im- 
possible to  outrage  religion  in  a  more  abominable  man- 
ner!" 

"And  you  must  not  think  that  the  Nazarene  keeps 
his  sacrileges  dark,  or  blushes  over  them — far  from  it! 
He  carries  blasphemy  to  the  point  of  deriding  the  Sab- 
bath, and  of  denouncing  those  who  observe  it  as  hypo- 
crites!"2 

A  general  murmur  of  indignation  received  these 
words  of  the  Prince  of  the  Church,  so  abominable  was 
the  Nazarene 's  impiousness  considered  by  the  guests 
of  Pontius  Pilate.  The  latter,  however,  unconcernedly 
emptying  cup  upon  cup,  seemed  no  longer  to  be  inter- 
ested in  the  conversation  that  went  on  all  around  him. 

"No,  Seigneur  Caiaphas,"  remarked  the  banker 
Jonas,  with  a  look  of  consternation,  "if  it  were  some 

'    *Luke,    6.7-11. 
"Luke,    13.15. 


1*  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

one  else  than  yourself  who  informed  me  of  such  enor- 
mities, I  would  hesitate  to  believe  them." 

"What  I  am  telling  you  are  accurate  facts.  The 
idea  occurred  to  me  of  placing  near  the  Nazarene  cer- 
tain wily  fellows  who  assume  the  appearance  of  being 
partisans  of  his.  They  draw  him  out.  He  then  speaks 
without  mistrust,  opens  his  heart  to  my  men,  and  then 
they  return  immediately  to  me  and  repeat  everything 
that  took  place."1 

"That  is  an  excellent  plan  that  you  hit  upon,  Seig- 
neur Caiaphas,"  observed  the  banker  Jonas  approv- 
ingly. "All  honor  to  you!" 

"Well,  thanks  to  these  emissaries,"  the  High  Priest 
proceeded,  "I  am  informed  that  as  late  as  day  before 
yesterday  the  Nazarene  uttered  incendiary  language, 
enough  to  egg  on  the  slaves  who  listened  to  him  to  cut 
the  throats  of  their  masters.  He  said:  'The  disciple 
is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  servant  above  his  lord ; 
it  is  enough  for  the  disciple  that  he  be  as  his  master, 
and  the  servant  as  his  lord'!"2 

A  fresh  murmur  of  indignation  ran  over  the  assem- 
blage. 

"You  notice  the  kind  concession  that  the  Nazarene 
deigns  to  make  to  us!"  cried  the  banker  Jonas.  "In- 
deed? It  is  enough  that  the  slave  be  as  his  master! 


lLuke,   20.20. 

Dupln  makes   the   following  re-  I  have  not  used  the  proper  term 

flection  :   "Who  would  not  be  sur-  to  qualify  the  emissaries  sent  out 

prised    to    find    here    the    odious  about    Jesus". — Dupln.    Sr.,    Jesux 

trade   of   the    agent    prorocateurT  before   Caiaphas.  p.    30. 

One  may  see  for  himself  whether  J  Matthew,    10.24-25. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  15 

You  grant  us  that  much,  Jesus  of  Nazareth !  You  per- 
mit that  the  slave  shall  not  be  above  his  seigneur! 
Many  thanks  to  you!" 

"And  consider,"  added  the  doctor  of  law,  ''consider 
the  consequences  of  these  amazing  doctrines  if  they 
were  to  be  generally  spread  among  the  masses.  We 
may  now  speak  freely,  here  among  us,  now  that  our 
servants  have  left  the  banquet  hall.  The  day  when 
the  slave  will  consider  himself  the  equal  of  his  master 
he  will  say  to  himself:  'If  I  am  my  master's  equal,  he 
can  not  have  the  right  to  keep  me  in  bondage,  and  I 
have  the  right  to  rebel.'  Now,  my  seigneurs,  you  can 
easily  imagine  what  such  a  revolt  would  mean!" 

"It  would  be  the  end  of  society!" 

"The  end  of  the  world!" 

"Chaos!"  cried  Seigneur  Baruch.  "Only  chaos  can 
follow  upon  the  unchaining  of  the  most  detestable  pas- 
sions of  the  populace,  and  the  Nazarene  flatters  them 
only  in  order  to  let  them  loose  upon  us.  He  promises 
mountains  and  marvels  to  the  wretches  in  order  to 
make  proselytes  of  them.  He  flatters  their  envious  ha- 
tred by  saying  to  them  that  on  the  day  of  justice  'the 
last  shall  be  first,  and  the  first  last'!"1 

"Yes,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  interjected  Jo- 
anna, in  a  sweet  yet  firm  voice.  "That  is  the  sense  in 
which  the  young  man  understands  it." 

"Oh,  indeed?"  said  Seigneur  Chuza,  her  husband, 
satirically.  "He  means  only  the  kingdom  of  heaven t 

'Matthew,    20.10. 


19  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Do  you  really  believe  that?  If  so,  why  then  did  a  fel- 
low named  Peter,  one  of  his  disciples,  shortly  ago  pro- 
pound to  him  this  categoric  question:  'Behold,  we 
have  forsaken  all,  and  followed  thee:  what  shall  we 
have  therefore?'  "l 

"That  Peter  is  a  man  of  foresight,"  remarked  the 
banker  jeeringly.  ' '  That  fellow  does  not  allow  himself 
to  be  paid  with  hollow  words." 

"To  that  question  from  Peter,"  replied  Chuza, 
"what  waa  the  Nazarene's  answer,  couched  in  such 
terms  as  to  incite  the  cupidity  of  the  bandits  whom, 
sooner  or  later,  he  means  to  turn  into  his  instruments? 
He  answered  in  these  unmistakable  words: 

"  'Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren, 
or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or 
lands  for  my  sake  shall  receive  an  hundredfold  now 
in  this  time,  and  shall  inherit  everlasting  life.'  "2 

"  'Now  in  this  time,'  that  is  clear  enough,"  put  in 
Doctor  Baruch.  "He  promises  now  and  in  this  time 
to  the  men  of  his  bands  a  hundred  houses  for  the  one 
which  they  give  up  in  order  to  follow  him ;  a  hundred- 
fold larger  field  for  the  one  they  abandon ;  and,  over 
and  above  all  that,  for  the  future,  in  the  centuries  to 
come,  he  assures  eternal  life  to  the  reprobates!" 

"Now,  then,  where  is  he  to  seize  those  hundred 
houses  for  one,"  inquired  the  banker  Jonas,  "or  the 
fields  that  he  promises  to  the  vagabonds  ?  He  will  have 


»  Matthew    19.27 

•Matthew.    19.29,    Mark,    10.29,30. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  17 

to  take  them  from  us,  from  us,  the  property  holders, 
irom  us,  the  cables  for  whom  the  entrance  into  Para- 
dise is  as  narrow  as  the  eye  of  a  needle,  simply  because 
of  our  wealth." 

"It  seems  to  me,  my  seigneurs,"  insisted  Joanna, 
"that  you  put  a  wrong  interpretation  upon  the  words 
of  the  young  master.  They  are  used  in  a  figurative 
sense. ' ' 

"Indeed!"  again  exclaimed  Joanna's  husband  in 
ironical  accents.  "And  what  may  the  beautiful  figure 
of  speech  be,  what  is  the  allegory?" 

' '  When  Jesus  of  Nazareth  says  that  those  who  follow 
him  will  enjoy  now  a  hundredfold  what  they  give  up, 
he  means,  it  seems  to  me,  that  the  consciousness  of 
preaching  the  glad  tidings,  the  love  of  our  fellowmen, 
kindness  towards  the  weak  and  suffering,  will  compen- 
sate a  hundredfold  for  the  earthly  goods  that  they  may 
have  renounced." 

Joanna's  clever  and  kind  words  were  ill  received  by 
the  guests  of  Pontius  Pilate,  and  the  High  Priest  cried 
out: 

"I  pity  your  wife,  Seigneur  Chuza,  for  being,  like 
30  many  other  women,  blinded  by  the  Nazarene.  So 
completely  are  his  eyes  fastened  upon  material  wealth, 
that  he  has  the  audacity  of  sending  the  vagabonds, 
whom  he  calls  his  disciples,  to  establish  themselves  in 
other  people's  houses  and  to  eat  their  fill  there  under 
the  pretence  of  preaching  his  delectable  doctrines  to  the 
inmates. ' ' 


18  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"How  is  that,  my  seigneurs!"  exclaimed  Gremion. 
"Are  such  highhanded  deeds  possible  in  your  country, 
and  can  they  be  perpetrated  with  impunity!  People 
establish  themselves  by  main  force  in  your  house,  and 
eat  and  drink  under  pretence  of  perorating  ? ' ' 

"Those  who  admit  the  disciples  of  the  young  master 
of  Nazareth,"  rejoined  Joanna,  "receive  them  volun- 
tarily. " 

"Yes,  some  of  them,"  said  Jonas.  "But  the  larger 
number  of  those  who  harbor  the  vagabonds  yield  to 
fear  and  to  threats.  According  to  the  orders  of  the 
Nazarene  whoever  refuses  to  shelter  and  feed  his  idle 
tramps  are  consigned  by  them  to  the  fires  of  heaven. ' n 

Fresh  clamors  of  indignation  received  the  report  of 
these  new  misdeeds  of  the  Nazarene. 

"That's  an  intolerable  tyranny!" 

"A  stop  must  be  put  to  such  indignities!" 

"It  is  simply  organized  pillage!" 

"So,  you  see,"  said  the  banker  Jonas,  "Seigneur 
Baruch  is  perfectly  right  when  he  says  that  it  is 
straight  toward  chaos  that  we  are  led  by  the  Nazarene, 
to  whom  nothing  is  sacred.  I  repeat  it — not  satisfied 
with  seeking  to  overthrow  Law,  Authority,  Property 
and  Religion,  his  infernal  purpose  is  to  destroy  the 
family  also — " 

"The  fellow  must  be  the  very  incarnation  of  your 
own  Beelzebub!"  cried  Gremion.  "What  is  that  you 
say,  my  seigneurs!  The  Nazarene  miscreant  contem- 

»Luke,  10.3-12. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  19 

plates  annihilating  the  family?  The  sacrosanct  insti- 
tution of  the  family  ? ' ' 

"Yes,  to  annihilate  by  dividing  it,"  explained  Caia- 
phas.  "To  annihilate  it  by  sowing  discord  and  hatred 
at  the  domestic  hearth!  By  arousing  the  son  against 
the  father!  Servants  against  their  masters!" 

"Seigneur,"  said  Gremion,  shaking  his  head  doubt- 
fully, "can  so  abominable  a  project  find  lodgment  in  a 
sane  man's  head?" 

"In  the  head  of  a  man,  no,"  answered  the  High 
Priest;  "in  the  head  of  a  Beelzebub  like  the  Nazarene, 
certainly.  Here  is  the  proof  of  it:  According  to  the 
irrefutable  report  of  my  emissaries,  whom  I  told  you 
about,  the  accursed  man  uttered,  only  a  week  ago,  the 
following  horrible  words  in  an  address  to  the  band  of 
beggars  that  never  leaves  him: 

"  'Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  send  peace  on  earth. 
I  came  not  to  send  peace  but  a  sword.  I  am  come  to 
send  fire  on  the  earth ;  and  what  will  I  if  it  be  already 
kindled!  Suppose  you  that  I  am  come  to  give  peace 
on  earth?  I  tell  you,  nay;  but  rather  division.  I  am 
come  to  set  a  man  at  variance  with  his  father,  and  the 
daughter  against  her  mother-in-law.  And  a  man's  foes 
shall  be  they  of  his  own  household.  For  henceforth 
there  shall  be  five  in  one  house  divided,  three  against 
two,  and  two  against  three.'  m 

"But  that  is  shocking!"  cried  the  banker  Jonas  and 
the  intendant  Chuza  in  chorus. 


1  Matthew,   10.84-36,   Luke,    12.49-53. 


20  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"It  is  to  preach  the  dissolution  of  the  family  through 
hatred!" 

"It  is  preaching  civil  war!"  cried  the  Roman  Gre- 
mion.  "Social  war,  like  that  raised  by  the  revolted 
slave  Spartacus!" 

* '  "What,  to  dare  say :  '  I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the 
earth,  and  what  will  I  if  it  be  already  kindled'!" 

"And  also:  'A  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own 
household'!" 

"And  besides:  'Henceforth  there  shall  be  five  in 
one  house  divided,  three  against  two,  and  tvvro  against 
three'!" 

"Why,  he  himself  has  the  infernal  audacity  to  sum 
up  his  purpose  saying:  'I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the 
earth.'" 

Joanna  listened  with  distressed  impatience  to  the 
numerous  charges  preferred  against  the  Nazarene. 
Finally  she  cried  in  a  firm  and  indignant  tone: 

"Oh,  my  seigneurs;  I  am  weary  of  listening  to  your 
calumnies !  You  misapprehend  the  words  of  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth  to  his  disciples.  When  he  speaks 
Df  the  division  that  will  arise  in  a  family,  he  means 
that,  while  in  the  same  house  some  may  share  his 
doctrine  of  love  and  good  will  for  their  fellows  that 
he  preaches  with  his  lips  and  his  heart,  others  will  per- 
sist in  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  and  they  will  needs 
be  divided.  He  means  that  the  servitors  will  declare 
themselves  the  enemies  of  their  master  if  he  has  been 
unjust  and  wicked.  In  short,  he  means  to  say  that 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  21 

everywhere  some  will  be  with  and  some  against  him. 
And  could  it  be  otherwise?  He  urges  people  to  re- 
nounce wealth;  he  proclaims  the  slave  the  equal  of  his 
master ;  he  consoles  and  forgives  those  who  have  sinned 
in  consequence  of  their  misery  or  in  consequence  of 
ignorance,  rather  than  with  evil  intent.  Everybody 
could  not  possibly  share  such  generous  doctrines.  What 
new  truth  was  ever  proclaimed  that  did  not  at  first 
divide  mankind  ?  The  young  master  of  Nazareth  mere- 
ly announces  in  his  figurative  language  that  he  has 
kindled  a  fire  on  earth  in  the  hope  that  the  earth  may 
be  illumined!  Oh!  I  believe  him!  The  fire  of  which 
he  speaks  is  the  ardent  love  for  humanity  with  which 
his  heart  is  aflame." 

While  Joanna  was  uttering  these  sentiments  in  a 
moved  and  vibrating  voice  she  seemed  even  more  beau- 
tiful than  in  repose.  Aurelia,  her  new  friend,  contem- 
plated her  with  as  much  astonishment  as  admiration. 

The  other  guests  of  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate,  on  the 
contrary,  uttered  numerous  expressions  of  amazement 
and  indignation.  Chuza,  the  husband  of  Joanna,  ad- 
dressed her  with  severity : 

"You  must  be  losing  your  senses!  I  am  ashamed  of 
your  words.  It  is  incredible  that  a  self-respecting 
woman  could  dare,  without  dying  of  confusion,  defend 
such  abominable  doctrines,  that  are  preached  on  the 
public  streets  and  in  disreputable  taverns  among  vaga- 


22  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

bonds,  thieves  and  fallen  women — the  habitual  compan- 
ionship of  the  Nazarene." 

"Did  not  the  young  master,  in  answer  to  those  who 
reproached  him  with  his  evil  associations,  say — the 
whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  they  that  are  sick?"1 
was  Joanna 's  prompt  reply  in  her  habitually  sweet  and 
sonorous  voice.  "By  means  of  this  parable  he  denoted 
that  it  was  those  that  led  evil  lives  who  needed  above 
all  being  enlightened,  sustained,  guided  and  loved.  I 
repeat  it,  yes,  loved  and  comforted  in  order  to  be  re- 
gained to  better  ways,  because  kindness  and  mercy  ac- 
complish more  than  violence  and  punishment.  This 
is  the  pious  and  gentle  task  that  Jesus  daily  imposes 
upon  himself." 

"And  I  repeat  to  you,"  cried  out  Chuza  in  a  tower- 
ing rage,  "that  the  only  object  of  the  Nazarene  in  thus 
flattering  the  detestable  passions  of  the  dregs  of  the 
populace,  among  whom  he  spends  his  time,  is  to  cause 
them  to  revolt  at  a  favorable  hour  and  season,  to  place 
himself  at  their  head,  set  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea  on 
fire,  sack  the  land  and  drench  it  in  blood.  He  expresses 
himself  clearly  enough.  Has  he  not  the  audacity  to 
say  that  he  brings  not  peace  on  earth  but  a  sword — 
and  fire—" 

These  words  from  Herod's  intendant  met  with 
marked  approval  from  the  guests  of  Pontius  Pilate,  all 
of  whom  seemed  more  and  more  amazed  at  the  silence 
and  indifference  of  the  Roman  Procurator.  The  latter, 
all  the  time  frequently  emptying  his  cup,  smiled  with 

»  Matthew,  0.12. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  23 

ever  increasing  good  nature  at  the  mention  of  each 
fresh  enormity  that  the  young  man  of  Nazareth  was 
being  charged  with. 

Aurelia,  who  had  listened  to  the  generous  defence 
of  the  young  master  by  the  wife  of  Herod's  steward, 
said  to  her  in  an  undertone: 

"Dear  Joanna,  I  can  not  tell  you  how  much  I  desire 
to  see  that  Nazarene.  He  must  be  an  extraordinary 
man — " 

"Oh,  indeed!  Extraordinary  in  his  kindness  of 
heart,"  answered  Joanna,  also  in  a  low  voice.  "If  you 
only  knew  how  tender  is  his  voice  when  he  addresses 
the  weak,  the  afflicted,  and  little  children.  Oh!  espe- 
cially the  little  children!  He  loves  them  to  the  point 
of  adoration.  When  he  sees  any  of  them  his  face  as- 
sumes a  celestial  aspect." 

"Joanna,"  replied  Aurelia,  smiling,  "is  he  so  very 
beautiful?" 

"Oh,  yes,  beautiful,  beautiful  as  an  archangel!" 

"How  curious  I  am  to  see  and  hear  him!"  repeated 
Aurelia.  "But,  alas!  How  is  that  to  be  done  if  he  is 
always  in  such  bad  company?  A  woman  could  hardly 
venture  in  any  of  the  taverns  where  he  preaches." 

Joanna  remained  thoughtful  for  a  moment ;  she  then 
said: 

"Who  knows,  dear  Aurelia!  We  may,  perhaps,  find 
some  means  of  seeing  and  hearing  the  young  man  of 
Nazareth. ' ' 


24  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

"  Oh ! "  exclaimed  Aurelia,  delighted.  ' '  Dear  Joanna, 
in  what  way?" 

"Hush!  we  are  observed,"  answered  Joanna.  "We 
shall  talk  about  this  later." 

In  fact,  indignant  at  his  wife's  obstinacy  in  defend- 
ing the  Nazarene,  Seigneur  Chuza,  no  less  so  than  Caia- 
phas,  was  casting  angry  glances  at  her  from  time  to 
time. 

Pontius  Pilate  had  once  more  emptied  his  large  cup. 
With  inflamed  cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes,  he  seemed 
to  be  enjoying  extreme  internal  beatitude. 

After  consulting  in  a  low  voice  with  Caiaphas  and 
the  banker,  Seigneur  Baruch  addressed  the  Roman, 
saying : 

"Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate,  if,  after  all  that  my  friends 
and  I  have  just  informed  you  of  concerning  the  abom- 
inable projects  of  the  Nazarene,  you  should  fail  to  take 
extreme  measures  against  the  man — you,  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  august  Emperor  Tiberius,  the  natural 
protector  of  Herod  our  Prince — then,  before  next  pass- 
over,  Jerusalem,  all  Judea,  will  be  a  prey  to  sack  and 
pillage,  instigated  by  the  Nazarene,  whom  the  popu- 
lace already  is  acclaiming  as  the  King  of  the  Jews." 

Preserving  the  tranquil  and  unconcerned  manner  so 
characteristic  of  him,  Pontius  Pilate  made  answer: 

"Come  now,  my  friends,  do  not  take  bushes  for 
forests,  or  molehills  for  mountains!  Is  it  for  me  to  re- 
mind you  of  your  own  history  ?  Is  the  lad  of  Nazareth, 
perchance,  the  first  who  ever  took  it  into  his  head  to 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S-  26 

play  the  role  of  Messiah?  Did  you  not  have,  before 
him,  Judas  the  Galilean,  who  claimed  the  Israelites 
should  recognize  no  master  but  God — and  who  even 
sought  to  arouse  the  populace  against  our  power.  What 
happened?  Judas  was  put  to  death — and  the  same 
thing  will  happen  to  the  young  man  of  Nazareth  if  he 
should  actually  fan  a  rebellion  into  flame." 

"It  is  undeniable,  seigneur,"  replied  Caiaphas,  the 
High  Priest,  "that  the  Nazarene  is  not  the  first  im- 
postor who  pretended  to  be  the  Messiah,  announced  by 
our  Holy  Writ  so  many  centuries  ago.  Since  the  last 
fifty  years,  to  mention  only  recent  happenings,  we  have 
had  a  number  of  false  Messiahs :  Jonathas ;  after  him, 
Simon,  the  Magician,  surnamed  'The  Great  Virtue  of 
God'.;  and  many  other  impostors,  alleged  Messiahs,  or 
saviors,  or  regenerators  of  the  land  of  Israel !  But  none 
of  those  frauds  ever  enjoyed  the  influence  that  the 
Nazarene  does,  or  above  all,  had  his  infernal  audacity. 
Never  did  any  of  them  assail,  as  this  one  does — and 
assail  with  inveterateness — wealth,  religion,  in  short, 
all  the  things  that  must  be  respected  unless  Israel  is  to 
be  plunged  into  chaos.  None  of  those  other  impostors 
addressed  themselves  especially  and  constantly,  as  does 
the  Nazarene,  to  the  dregs  of  the  populace,  over  whom 
be  has  attained  a  redoubtable  ascendancy.  Why,  only 
recently,  when  Seigneur  Baruch,  at  tlie  end  of  his  pa- 
tience at  the  public  insults  with  which  the  Nazarene 
hounded  the  Pharisees,  attempted  to  have  him  arrested, 


26  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

he  was  prevented  from  so  doing  by  the  mob.1  Accord- 
ingly, if  you  do  not  come  to  our  help,  you,  Seigneur 
Pontius  Pilate,  who  have  a  considerable  armed  force  at 
your  command,  it  will  be  done  for  the  public  peace, 
and  even  an  insurrection  against  your  troops  becomes 
possible." 

"All  that  sounds  very  plausible,  my  seigneurs,"  re- 
plied Pontius  Pilate,  laughing.  "If  the  Nazarene  should 
dare  to  cause  the  populace  to  mutiny  against  my 
troops,  you  will  see  me  the  first  ready — casque  on  head, 
cuirass  on  back,  sword  in  hand.  As  to  all  else — by 
Jupiter !  You  will  yourselves  have  to  disentangle  your 
own  skein  if  a  kink  has  got  into  it.  Such  internal  mat- 
ters concern  only  you,  you  who  are  the  Senators  of  the 
city.  Arrest  the  young  fellow,  imprison  him,  crucify 
him  if  he  deserves  it — it  is  your  right,  exercise  it.  As 
to  me,  I  represent  here  the  Emperor,  my  master.  So 
long  as  his  power  is  not  assailed,  there  is  nothing  for 
me  to  meddle  with." 

"Moreover,  Seigneur  Procurator,"  added  Joanna, 
"did  not  the  young  master  say:  'Render  unto  Caesar 
the  things  which  are  Caesar 's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's'?"2 

"True,  noble  Joanna,"  answered  Pontius  Pilate, 
"that  sounds  very  far  from  wanting  to  arouse  the  peo- 
ple to  rise  against  the  Romans." 

"But  do  you  not  see,  seigneur,"  cried  Doctor  Ba- 
ruch,  impatiently,  "that  the  fraud  uses  such  language 

1  Mark.  12.12. 
•Matthew,  22.21. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  27 

only  out  of  hypocrisy,  in  order  not  to  awaken  your 
suspicion,  but  that,  at  the  proper  time,  he  will  call  the 
populace  to  arms?" 

"In  that  event,  my  seigneurs,"  rejoined  Pontius 
Pilate,  again  emptying  his  cup,  "the  Nazarene  will 
find  me  ready  to  receive  him  at  the  head  of  my  cohorts. 
Your  troubles  with  the  young  fellow  in  nowise  con- 
cern me." 

That  instant  a  Roman  officer  burst  into  the  banquet 
hall  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  and  said  to  Pontius 
Pilate : 

"Seigneur  Procurator,  information  has  just  reached 
us  that  a  grave  commotion  is  being  caused  by  Jesus 
of  Nazareth." 

"Poor  young  man!"  said  Aurelia  to  Joanna,  in  a 
whisper.  "He  is  the  sport  of  misfortune.  Everything 
seems  to  go  against  him ! ' ' 

"Let  us  listen,"  answered  Joanna,  uneasy.  "Let 
us  listen." 

"You  see  it  now,  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate,"  cried  at 
once  the  High  Priest,  the  doctor  of  the  law,  and  the 
banker.  "Not  a  day  goes  by  without  the  Nazarene 's 
disturbing  the  public  peace." 

"Answer  me,"  said  the  Procurator,  addressing  the 
officer,  "what  is  it  all  about?" 

"Some  people  who  have  arrived  from  Bethany  re- 
port that  three  days  ago  Jesus  of  Nazareth  brought  a 
dead  body  to  life.  The  whole  population  of  the  town 
is  in  indescribable  commotion ;  bands  of  ragged  people 


28  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

are  at  this  hour  running  through  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem with  torches,  crying:  "Glory  to  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, who  resuscitates  the  dead!'  " 

"The  audacious  rascal!"  cried  Caiaphas.  "The  idea 
of  pretending  to  be  able  to  emulate  our  prophets !  To 
emulate  Elijah,  who  brought  to  life  the  son  of  the 
widow  of  Zarephath,1  or  Elisha,  who  resuscitated  the 
son  of  the  Shunammite  !2  Profanation !  Profanation ! ' ' 

"He  is  an  impostor!"  echoed  the  banker  Jonas.  "It 
is  an  impious  fraud !  Sacrilege !  Our  Holy  Writ  says 
that  the  Messiah  will  resuscitate  the  dead.  The  Naza- 
rene  is  trying  to  play  his  role  of  Messiah." 

"They  even  mention  the  name  of  the  dead  man  who 
was  brought  to  life,"  said  the  officer.  "They  say  his 
name  is  Lazarus. ' ' 

"An  example  must  be  made!"  cried  the  doctor  of 
the  law.  "That  Lazarus  should  be  hanged  to  teach 
him  to  come  to  life  again  !"8 

"Do  you  hear  them?  They  wish  to  put  the  poor 
man  to  death."  remarked  Aurelia  to  Joanna,  shrug- 
ging her  shoulders.  "To  lose  one's  life  because  it  was 
regained  without  one's  fault!  At  least  I  presume  they 
do  not  accuse  him  of  having  begged  to  be  resurrected. 
These  men  certainly  are  insane." 

"Alas!  dear  Aurejia,"  answered  Chuza's  wife  sadly, 
"these  are  wicked  mad  men." 

"I  repeat,"  Doctor  Baruch  was  heard  to  declare, 
"that  fellow  Lazarus  should  be  hanged!" 


»I  Klnsrs,   17.9-24.  'John,   12.10. 

•II    Kings,    4.32-35. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S-  8* 

" Fudge,  my  seigneurs!"  exclaimed  Pontius  Pilate. 
"Here  was  an  honest  corpse  sleeping  tranquilly  in  his 
grave,  not  harboring  any  evil  thoughts;  he  is  resus- 
citated without  his  help,  and  you  want  me  to  have  him 
hanged  for  that!" 

"Yes,  seigneur!"  cried  Caiaphas.  "The  mischief 
must  be  nipped  in  the  bud.  If  this  Nazarene  now  takes 
to  resuscitating  dead  bodies — " 

"It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  where  that  would 
end!"  cried  Doctor  Baruch.  "I  therefore  address  a 
formal  request  to  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate  that  the  au- 
dacious Lazarus  be  put  to  death." 

"But,  seigneur,"  suggested  Aurelia,  "suppose  you 
hang  him,  and  the  young  master  of  Nazareth  resus- 
citates him  over  again?" 

"Then  we  will  hang  him  over  again,  Dame  Aurelia!" 
answered  the  banker  Jonas  angrily.  "We  will  hang 
him  aver  again !  By  Joshua !  Do  you  think  we  are  in 
the  accommodating  mood  to  please  such  vagabonds?" 

"My  seigneurs,"  answered  Pontius  Pilate,  "you 
have  your  militia,  have  that  Lazarus  arrested  and 
hanged,  if  it  pleases  you.  If  you  do,  however,  you 
would  show  yourselves  more  pitiless  than  we  the 
pagans,  who,  like  yourselves,  have  had  our  resur- 
rected ones.  But  by  Jupiter!  We  do  not  hang  them. 
I  heard  it  said  quite  recently  that  Apollonius  of  Tyana 
resuscitated  a  young  girl  whose  coffin  he  ran  against, 
with  her  betrothed  walking  behind  and  mourning. 


30  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Apollonius  uttered  some  magical  words,  and  the  bride 
stepped  out  of  her  coffin  fresher  and  more  charming 
than  ever  before.1  The  marriage  then  took  place,  and 
the  couple  lived  happy  ever  afterwards." 

"Would  you  have  caused  the  poor  bride  who  came 
back  to  life  to  die  over  again,  my  dear  seigneurs?"  in- 
quired Aurelia. 

"Yes,  by  all  means,"  answered  Caiaphas,  "if  she 
was  the  accomplice  of  an  impostor.  But  seeing  that 
the  seigneur  Procurator  leaves  us  in  the  lurch,  myself 
and  my  friend  Baruch  shall  call  out  the  militia  and 
issue  orders  for  the  arrest  of  that  Lazarus." 

"G-o  ahead,  my  seigneurs,"  said  Pontius  Pilate, 
rising. 

"Seigneur  Gremion,"  said  Chuza,  the  intendant  of 
the  house  of  Herod,  "I  was  to  leave  day  after  to-mor- 
xow  on  a  journey  of  inspection  that  is  to  take  me  as 
far  as  Bethlehem.  If  you  wish  us  to  travel  together. 
I  shall  hasten  my  departure  by  one  day,  and  we  may 
start  to-morrow  morning.  We  shall  be  back  in  four 
days.  I  shall  avail  myself  of  your  escort.  In  these 
disturbed  days  it  is  well  to  be  protected." 

"I  accept  your  offer,  Seigneur  Chuza,"  answered  the 
Tribune  of  the  Treasury.  "I  should  be  delighted  to 
travel  in  your  company." 

"Dear  Aurelia,"  Joanna  whispered  to  her  friend, 
"you  wanted  to  see  the  young  master  of  Nazareth T" 


1  Baur      Apollonius    of     Tyano      Straus  In  his  Ufe  of  Jesus, 
and    Ohritt,    sec.    145;    cited    by       II,  p.   187. 


A  SUPPER  AT  PONTIUS  PILATE'S.  81 

"Oh!  Now  more  than  ever,  dear  Joanna!  Every- 
thing 1  hear  told  of  that  extraordinary  young  man  re- 
doubles my  curiosity." 

"Come  to  my  house  to-morrow  after  my  husband's 
departure. ' ' 

"To-morrow?     Agreed,  dear  Joanna." 

The  two  young  women,  together  with  their  husbands 
and  the  slave  Genevieve,  left  the  residence  of  Pontius 
Pilate. 


CHAPTER  H. 
JOANNA,  AUKELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE. 

The  tavern  of  the  Wild  Ass  was  a  favorite  gathering 
place  for  camel  drivers,  hirers  of  asses,  carriers,  itin- 
erant merchants,  vendors  of  watermelons,  pomegran- 
ates, fresh  dates  in  season,  and,  later,  of  olives  and 
dried  dates.  In  the  tavern  were  also  found  people 
without  any  settled  trade — prostitutes  of  low  degree, 
beggars,  vagabonds  and  bold  fellows  whose  armed  pro- 
tection travelers  purchased  when  they  journeyed  from 
town  to  town  in  order  to  be  defended  against  high- 
waymen by  this  mercenary  escort,  often  themselves 
very  much  suspected.  There  were  also  seen  in  the  place 
Roman  slaves  whom  their  masters  brought  to  the  coun- 
try of  the  Hebrews. 

The  tavern  of  the  Wild  Ass  enjoyed  a  bad  reputa- 
tion. Quarrels  and  fights  were  of  frequent  occurrence. 
Towards  nightfall  none  were  seen  to  venture  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Lambs'  Gate,  not  far  from  which 
the  haunt  was  situated,  but  men  of  sinister  aspect  or 
women  of  a  disorderly  life.  Later,  when  night  had 
fully  set  in,  cries,  peals  of  laughter  and  bacchanalian 
songs  were  heard  to  issue  from  the  dreaded  locality, 


JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE.  M 

not  infrequently  plaintive  moans  followed  the  disputes. 
Occasionally,  militiamen  of  the  Jerusalem  Guard  en- 
tered the  tavern  under  pretence  of  restoring  order,  and 
came  out  again  either  deeper  in  their  cups  and  more 
turbulent  than  the  drinkers,  or  driven  out  with  sticks 
and  stones. 

On  the  day  after  the  supper  that  took  place  at  the 
residence  of  Pontius  Pilate,  towards  evening,  after 
dusk,  two  young  men  plainly  dressed  in  white  tunics 
and  turbans  of  blue  wool  were  promenading  in  a  little 
winding  street,  at  the  extremity  of  which  the  door  of 
the  dreaded  tavern  was  to  be  seen.  They  were  talking 
together  as  they  walked,  and  often  turned  their  heads 
to  look  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  street  as  if  they 
awaited  the  arrival  of  some  one. 

"Genevieve,"  said  one  of  them  to  his  companion, 
stopping  a  moment — the  two  pretended  young  men 
were  Aurelia  and  her  female  slave,  disguised  in  men's 
attire — "Genevieve,  my  new  friend  Joanna  is  very 
slow  in  joining  us.  I  begin  to  feel  alarmed.  Besides, 
if  I  must  confess  it  to  you,  I  fear  I  am  committing  an 
indiscretion." 

"Then,  dear  mistress,  let  us  return  home." 

"I  have  a  good  mind  to  do  so — and  yet  would  such 
a  good  opportunity  ever  offer  itself  again?" 

"It  is  true  that  the  absence  of  your  husband.  Seig- 
neur Gremion,  who  left  this  morning  with  Seigneur 
Chuza,  the  intendant  of  the  house  of  Herod,  leaves 
you  entirely  free,  and  that  it  may,  perhaps,  be  long 


34  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

before  you  have  such  another  opportunity." 

"Confess  it,  Genevieve,  you  are  even  more  curious 
than  I  to  see  this  extraordinary  man,  this  young  mas- 
ter of  Nazareth;  are  you  not?" 

"If  it  is  so,  iny  dear  mistress,  there  would  be  noth- 
ing strange  in  my  wish.  I  am  a  slave,  and  the  Naza- 
rene  declares  there  should  be  no  more  slaves." 

"Am  I,  then,  such  a  harsh  mistress,  Genevieve t" 

"No !  Oh,  no !  But,  frankly,  do  you  know  many  mis- 
tresses like  you?" 

"It  is  not  for  me  to  answer  such  a  question,  flat- 
terer!" 

' '  Then  it  is  for  me  to  say  so.  If  there  is  exceptionally 
such  a  good  mistress  as  you  there  are  a  hundred  others 
who  for  a  word,  at  the  slightest  act  of  negligence,  have 
their  slaves'  flesh  cut  with  the  whip,  or  torture  them 
with  cruel  delight.  Is  that  not  true?" 

"I  can  not  deny  that." 

"You  render  servitude  to  me  as  bearable  as  possible, 
my  dear  mistress.  But,  after  all,  I  do  not  belong  to 
myself.  I  have  been  obliged  to  tear  myself  from  my 
dear  Fergan,  my  husband,  who  wept  so  bitterly  at  my 
departure.  Who  tells  me  that  I  shall  see  him  again 
upon  my  return  to  Marseilles?  Who  tells  me  that  he 
may  not  have  been  sold  and  carried  away  to  some  other 
place?  Who  tells  me  that  Seigneur  Gremion  may  not 
sell  me,  and  separate  me  from  you?" 

"I  promised  you  that  you  shall  never  part  from 
me." 


JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE.  35 

"But  if  your  husband  should  want  to  sell  me,  could 
you  prevent  him?" 

"Alas,  no!" 

"And  yet,  only  a  hundred  years  ago,  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  us  Gauls  were  free !  The  ancestors  of  Fer- 
gan  were  the  bravest  chiefs  of  their  tribe!" 

"Oh!"  said  Aurelia,  smiling,  "a  Caesar's  daughter 
would  not  be  any  prouder  for  having  an  emperor  for 
her  father  than  you  are  of  what  you  call  the  ancestors 
of  your  husband." 

"Pride  is  not  allowed  to  a  slave,"  answered  Gene- 
vieve  sadly.  "All  I  regret  is  our  freedom.  What  did 
we  do  to  lose  it  ?  Oh,  if  only  the  prayers  of  this  young 
man  of  Nazareth  were  granted !  If  there  were  no  more 
slavery!" 

"No  more  slavery!  Why,  Genevieve,  you  are  going 
crazy.  Is  such  a  thing  possible?  No  more  slaves  1 
That  their  lives  be  made  less  hard  to  bear,  that  I  con- 
cede is  proper.  But  wholly  to  suppress  slavery  would 
be  the  end  of  the  world.  Do  you  see,  Genevieve,  it  is 
just  such  extreme  views  that  injure  the  young  man  of 
Nazareth." 

"He  is  not  beloved  by  the  powerful  and  happy.  Yes- 
terday, at  the  supper  at  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate's,  as 
I  stood  behind  you,  I  listened  to  all  that  was  said.  I 
did  not  lose  a  single  word.  How  inveterate  their  ha- 
tred for  the  young  man!" 

"It  can  not  be  helped,  Genevieve,"  answered  Aure- 


3«  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

lia  smiling.    "In  a  certain  measure  it  is  his  own  fault." 

"And  you,  too,  accuse  him!" 

"No,  I  do  not.  But  you  must  remember  that  he 
assails  the  bankers,  the  doctors  of  the  law,  the  priests, 
in  short,  all  the  hypocrites  who  belong  to  the  party  of 
the  Pharisees.  That  should  be  enough  to  ruin  him 
forever. ' ' 

"At  least  it  takes  courage  to  tell  the  truth  to  wicked 
people  when  they  are  powerful.  Besides,  the  young 
man  of  Nazareth  is  as  good  as  he  is  courageous,  ac- 
cording to  your  friend  Joanna.  She  is  rich  and  in  high 
standing,  and  she  is  not  a  slave  like  myself.  Accord- 
ingly, he  does  not  preach  in  her  favor,  and  yet,  sec 
how  much  she  admires  him!" 

"Joanna's  admiration,  the  admiration  of  a  sweet 
and  charming  woman,  does  no  doubt  speak  in  the 
young  man's  favor.  It  would  be  impossible  for  Jo- 
anna, with  her  noble  heart,  to  admire  a  wicked  man. 
What  a  lovable  friend  accident  has  given  me  in  her! 
I  know  nothing  so  tender  as  her  looks,  or  so  touching 
as  her  voice.  She  says  that  when  the  Nazarene  speaks 
to  the  afflicted,  the  poor  and  to  little  children  his  as- 
pect becomes  divine.  I  do  not  know,  but  what  is  cer- 
tain is  that  Joanna's  face  becomes  celestial  when  she 
speaks  of  him  " 

"Is  it  not  she  who  is  coming  from  the  other  side,  my 
dear  mistress?  I  hear  a  light  step  approaching  in  the 
shadow." 

"It  must  be  she." 


JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE.  37 

Indeed,  Joanna,  also  disguised  in  man's  garb,  joined 
Aurelia  and  her  slave  a  second  later. 

"You  have  probably  been  waiting  for  me  a  long 
time,  Aurelia,"  said  the  young  dame;  "I  could  not 
leave  my  house  in  secret  before  now." 

"Joanna,  I  do  not  feel  very  much  at  ease.  I  think  I 
am  just  now  more  timid  than  curious.  Only  think, 
women  of  our  rank  in  that  horrible  tavern,  where,  it 
is  said,  the  dregs  of  the  city  gather!" 

"Have  no  fear.  Those  people  are  more  turbulent  and 
frightful  in  appearance  than  they  are  really  wicked. 
I  have  already  been  twice  among  them  in  this  disguise 
with  one  of  my  female  relatives,  to  hear  the  young 
master.  The  light  is  poor  in  the  tavern.  There  is  a 
dark  gallery  that  runs  around  the  court.  We  shall  not 
be  seen  from  there.  We  shall  call  for  a  pot  of  beer, 
and  no  heed  will  be  given  to  us.  They  are  occupied 
onty  with  the  young  man  of  Nazareth,  or  in  his  ab- 
sence, with  his  disciples  who  come  to  preach  the  glad 
tidings.  Come,  Aurelia,  it  is  getting  late — come." 

"Hark!  Hark!"  said  the  Roman  dame  to  Joanna, 
listening  with  alarm  in  the  direction  of  the  tavern. 
"Do  you  hear  those  cries?  They  are  quarreling  in  the 
horrible  place!" 

"That  is  a  sign  that  the  young  master  has  not  yet 
arrived,"  explained  Joanna.  "In  his  presence  all  voices 
are  hushed,  and  the  most  violent  become  like  lambs." 

"And  besides,  Joanna,  look  at  that  group  of  vile 
looking  men  and  women  gathered  at  the  door  under 


88  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

the  light  of  the  lantern.  Let  us  wait  until  they  go  in 
or  go  away." 

"Come,  there  is  nothing  to  fear,  I  assure  you — " 

"No,  I  beg  of  you,  Joanna,  wait  a  little  longer.  I 
certainly  do  admire  your  bravery." 

"Oh!  It  is  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  inspires  cour- 
age, as  he  inspires  the  turbulent  with  gentleness.  More- 
over, if  you  only  knew  how  natural  his  language  is! 
What  touching  and  ingenious  parables  he  hits  upon 
to  express  his  thoughts  in  a  way  that  he  can  be  under- 
stood by  these  plain  people,  by  these  poor  in  spirit,  as 
he  calls  them,  and  whom  he  loves  so  dearly!  Accord- 
ingly, everybody,  down  to  the  little  children,  for  whom 
he  entertains  so  much  tenderness,  understand  his  dis- 
courses, and  do  not  lose  a  word.  No  doubt,  before 
him,  other  Messiahs  have  prophesied  the  deliverance 
of  our  country  from  the  oppression  of  the  stranger, 
have  explained  our  Holy  Writ,  have  healed  desperate 
diseases  by  means  of  the  magic  of  medicine.  But  none 
of  these  Messiahs  has  until  now  displayed  the  fore- 
bearing  patience  with  which  the  young  master  teaches 
the  humble  and  the  little  ones — all,  in  short,  because, 
to  him  there  are  no  infidels  or  pagans.  All  simple 
hearts  are  good,  and  worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Did  you  ever  hear  his  parable  of  the  heathen?  There 
is  nothing  so  simple  and  yet  so  touching." 

"No,  Joanna,  I  never  heard  it." 

"It  is  called  The  Good  Samaritan." 

"What  is  a  Samaritan?" 


JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE.  39 

"The  Samaritans  are  an  idolatrous  people  who  in- 
habit the  territory  on  the  other  side  of  the  furthermost 
mountains  of  Judea.  The  chief  priests  look  upon  those 
people  as  barred  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  This  is 
the  parable: 

"  'A  certain  man  went  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  which  stripped  him 
of  his  raiment,  and  wounded  him,  and  departed  leav- 
ing him  half  dead. 

"  'And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  certain  priest 
that  way;  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  on  the 
other  side. 

"  'And  likewise  a  Levite,  when  he  was  at  the  place, 
came  and  looked  on  him,  and  passed  by  on  the  other 
side. 

"  'But  a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came 
where  he  was;  and  when  he  saw  him  he  had  compas- 
sion on  him,  and  went  to  him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds, 
pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  and  set  him  on  his  own  beast, 
and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care  of  him. 

"  'And  on  the  morrow  when  he  departed,  he  took 
out  two  pence,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said 
unto  him,  Take  care  of  him;  and  whatsoever  thou 
spendest  more,  when  I  come  again,  I  will  repay  thee. 

"  'Which  now,'  Jesus  asked  his  disciples,  'which 
now  of  these  three,  think  you,  was  neighbor  unto  him 
that  fell  among  the  thieves?' 

"  'He  that  showed  mercy  on  him,'  was  the  answer 
given. 


40  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"  'Go  in  peace  and  do  you  likewise,'  replied  Jesus 
with  a  celestial  smile."1 

The  slave  Genevieve  could  not  restrain  her  tears  on 
hearing  this  story,  especially  seeing  that  Joanna  laid 
particular  emphasis,  with  ineffable  sweetness,  upon 
the  last  words  of  Jesus — "Go  in  peace,  and  do  you  like- 
wise." 

"You  are  right,  Joanna,"  said  Aurelia  pensively, 
"even  a  child  could  understand  the  moral  conveyed  by 
those  words.  I  myself  feel  deeply  moved  by  them." 

"And  yet  this  parable,"  Joanna  proceeded  to  say, 
"is  one  of  those  that  have  exasperated  the  chief  priests 
and  the  doctors  of  the  law  most  bitterly  against  tho 
master  of  Nazareth." 

"Why  so?" 

"Because  in  that  story  he  exhibits  a  Samaritan,  a 
pagan,  as  more  humane  than  the  Levite,  than  the  priest, 
since  the  idolater,  seeing  a  brother  in  a  poor  wounded 
man,  succored  him,  and  thus  rendered  himself  worthier 
of  heaven  than  the  two  holy  men  of  hard  hearts.  This 
is  one  of  the  things  which  the  enemies  of  Jesus  call 
his  blasphemies  and  his  sacrileges!" 

"Joanna,  let  us  proceed  to  the  tavern.  I  no  longer 
fear  to  enter  the  place.  People  for  whom  such  stories 
are  invented,  and  who  listen  to  them  with  avidity,  can 
not  be  wicked." 

"As  you  see,  my  dear  Aurelia,  the  word  of  the  Naza- 

»Luke,  80.80-87. 


JOANNA,  AURELIA  AND  GENEVIEVE.  41 

rene  already  has  its  effect  upon  you.    It  inspires  you 
with  confidence  and  courage.    Come!    Come!" 

And  the  young  dame  took  her  friend's  arm.  The 
two,  followed  by  the  slave  Genevieve,  proceeded  to  the 
tavern  of  the  Wild  Ass,  where  they  soon  arrived. 


CHAPTER  III. 
THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS. 

This  tavern,  constructed  on  a  square  plan  like  all 
other  houses  in  the  Orient,  consisted  of  an  interior 
court  surrounded  by  heavy  columns  that  supported  a 
terrace  and  formed  four  galleries  under  which  the 
drinkers  could  take  shelter  when  it  rained.  This  night, 
however,  being  clear  and  mild,  the  larger  number  of 
the  patrons  of  the  place  sat  around  the  tables  in  the 
court,  lighted  by  the  flickering  glimmer  of  a  huge  iron 
lamp  that  stood  in  the  center  of  the  place.  This  soli- 
tary luminary  threw  hardly  any  light  into  the  galleries, 
where  also  some  drinkers  were  seated.  The  galleries 
were  thus  thrown  almost  completely  in  the  shade. 

It  was  to  one  of  these  somber  covers  that  Joanna, 
Aurelia  and  GTenevieve  proceeded.  In  crossing  the  then 
noisy  crowd  they  noticed  many  ragged  people,  or  at 
least  poorly  clad,  a  large  number  of  whom  were  disor- 
derly women.  Most  of  these  were  miserably  dressed,  and 
had  for  their  turban  only  a  shred  of  white  veil  around 
their  heads;  some  others,  however,  wore  dresses  and 
head  covers  of  rather  costly  but  faded  material,  cop- 
per bracelets,  necklaces  and  earrings  studded  with  false 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS-  43 

stones.  Their  cheeks  were  brilliantly  painted;  their 
haggard  and  sad  countenances  bespoke  a  certain  bit- 
terness of  mind;  their  manifestations  of  pleasure  were 
boisterous  and  exaggerated;  everything  about  them 
told  of  the  trials,  agonies  and  shame  of  the  sad  life  of 
courtesans. 

Of  the  men,  some  seemed  depressed  with  poverty, 
others  looked  savage  and  desperate.  Several  wore 
rusty  weapons  at  their  belts,  or  were  leaning  upon  long 
sticks  tipped  with  an  iron  ball.  Farther  away,  distin- 
guishable by  their  iron  collars  and  shaven  heads,  stood 
some  household  slaves  belonging  to  Roman  officers. 
Still  further  off,  a  number  of  infirm,  in  rags,  squatted 
beside  their  crutches.  Mothers  held  in  their  arms  their 
little  pale  and  wan  children  whom  they  covered  with 
looks  of  tender  anxiety,  as  they  awaited  the  arrival  of 
the  master  of  Nazareth,  who  was  so  skilled  in  the  art 
of  healing. 

Prom  a  few  words  exchanged  by  two  rather  well 
dressed  but  cynical  and  hard-featured  men,  that  fell 
upon  the  ear  of  Genevieve  she  guessed  that  the  men 
were  secret  emissaries  employed  by  the  chief  priests 
and  the  doctors  of  the  law  to  spy  upon  the  Nazarene, 
and  lure  him  into  the  trap  of  some  imprudent  confi- 
dence. 

Bolder  than  her  friend,  Joanna  had  made  a  passage 
for  her  through  the  crowd,  and  seeing  an  unoccupied 
table  standing  in  the  shadow  and  behind  one  of  the 
columns  of  the  galleries,  the  wife  of  Seigneur  Chuza 


44  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

seated  herself  there  with  Aurelia,  and  called  for  a  pot 
of  beer  from  one  of  the  waiter-girls  of  the  tavern,  while 
Genevieve,  taking  her  stand  beside  her  mistress,  did 
not  lose  sight  of  the  two  emissaries  of  the  Pharisees, 
and  listened  with  avidity  to  everything  that  was  being 
said  around  her. 

"The  night  advances,"  remarked  sadly  a  young  and 
handsome  woman  to  one  of  her  friends  seated  opposite 
to  her,  and  the  cheeks  of  whom,  like  her  own,  were 
covered  with  paint,  in  the  style  common  to  courtesans, 
"Jesus  of  Nazareth  will  not  come  to-night." 

"It  was  scarcely  worth  the  while  to  come,"  answered 
the  other  reproachfully.  "We  should  have  taken  our 
walk  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Pool.  We  would  then 
have  come  across  some  half  drunk  Roman  centurion, 
or  some  doctor  of  the  law  scraping  the  walls,  his  nose 
in  his  cloak.  From  either  we  would  have  got  a  supper. 
You  must  not  complain,  Oliba,  if  we  go  to  bed  supper- 
less.  It  is  your  own  doing." 

"That  bread  has  begun  to  taste  so  bitter  to  me  that 
I  do  not  regret  It. ' ' 

"Bitter  or  not — it  is  bread — and  when  one  is  hun- 
gry, one  eats  it." 

"I  would  have  forgotten  all  about  my  hunger,  lis- 
tening to  the  words  of  Jesus,"  replied  the  first  cour- 
tesan in  a  soft  voice. 

"Oliba,  you  will  yet  go  crazy — to  feed  upon  words!" 

"It  is  because  the  words  of  Jesus  breathe  forgive- 
ness, mercy,  love — until  now  there  were  for  us  only 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS.  46 

words  of  aversion  and  contumely." 

And  the  courtesan  remained  pensive,  her  forehead 
resting  upon  her  hand. 

"You  are  a  singular  girl,  Oliba!"  remarked  the 
other.  "At  any  rate,  however  hollow  it  may  be,  we 
shall  not  partake  of  even  that  supper  of  words.  The 
Nazarene  will  not  come  now.  It  is  too  late." 

"On  the  contrary,  may  the  all-powerful  God  send 
him  here!"  exclaimed  a  poor  woman  who  was  seated 
on  the  ground  near  the  two  courtesans,  and  held  a 
sick  child  in  her  arms.  "I  have  come  on  foot  all  the 
way  from  Bethlehem  to  beg  our  good  Jesus  to  heal  my 
daughter.  He  has  no  equal  as  a  healer  of  children's 
ailments,  and,  so  far  from  demanding  payment  for  his 
advice,  he  often  gives  us  wherewithal  to  purchase  the 
balms  that  he  prescribes." 

"By  the  bowels  of  Solomon!  I  also  hope  that  our 
friend  Jesus  may  not  fail  us  this  evening ! ' '  came  from 
a.  large  sized  man  of  ferocious  aspect  with  a  long,  stiff 
beard,  a  rag  of  a  red  turban  on  his  head,  and  clad  in  a 
camel's  hair  skirt  that  hung  almost  in  shreds  from  a 
cord  that  was  wound  around  his  waist  and  from  which 
dangled  a  long  sheathless  and  rusty  cutlass.  This  man 
also  held  in  his  hand  a  long  stick  tipped  with  an  iron 
ball.  "If  our  good  friend  of  Nazareth  does  not  come 
this  evening  I  shall  have  spent  my  night  for  nothing. 
I  had  bargained  to  escort  a  traveler  who  did  not  dare 
to  entrust  himself  alone  on  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to 
Bethany  out  of  fear  of  footpads." 


46  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Just  look  at  that  bandit  with  his  gallows-bird  face 
and  long  cutlass!  A  comforting  escort  for  a  traveler, 
he  is!"  observed  to  his  companion  in  a  low  voice  one 
of  the  two  secret  emissaries  seated  not  far  from  where 
Genevieve  stood. 

"He  would  cut  his  too  confiding  traveler's  throat 
and  rob  him  at  the  first  dark  spot  on  the  road,"  an- 
swered the  other  emissary. 

"As  true  as  my  name  is  Banaias,"  the  man  of  the 
long  cutlass  proceeded  to  say,  "I  would  have  gladly 
lost  the  neat  godsend  of  escorting  a  traveler,  if  our 
friend  of  Nazareth  had  come !  I  love  that  man !  I  do ! 
He  consoles  one  for  having  to  drag  his  rags  about,  by 
proving  to  us  that,  since  they  can  no  more  enter  into 
Paradise  than  a  hawse  could  pass  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle,  all  the  wicked  rich  will  some  day  roast  like 
capons  in  the  kitchen  of  Beelzebub.  True  enough,  that 
fills  neither  our  bellies  nor  our  purses !  But  it  comforts. 
I  could  spend  whole  days  and  nights  listening  to  him 
belaboring  the  priests,  the  doctors  of  the  law  and  the 
rest  of  the  Pharisees!  And  right  he  is,  my  friends! 
You  should  just  hear  those  Pharisees !  If  you  are  taken 
before  their  tribunal  for  some  trifle,  all  they  do  is  to 
shout:  'Quick,  to  jail  with  him  and  to  the  whipping 
post!'  'Thief!'  '  Criminal !'  '  Firebrand  of  hell !'  '  Son 
of  Satan!'  and  other  such  paternal  remonstrances.  By 
the  nose  of  Ezekiel !  Is  that  the  way  to  correct  a  man  ? 
Do  not  the  accursed  fellows  know  that  many  a  horse, 
that  is  restive  to  the  whip,  will  obey  the  voice?  Oh, 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS.  47 

who  only  the  other  day  said  to  us,  If  your  brother  tres- 
pass against  you,  rebuke  him ;  and  if  he  repent,  forgive 
him.1  That  is  talking !  By  the  ear  of  Melchisedech !  I 
am  not  tender  and  benign  like  the  pascal  lamb ;  no,  no, 
I  have  had  ample  time  to  get  my  heart,  head  and  skin 
hardened.  Twenty  years  ago  my  father  drove  me  from 
his  home  on  account  of  a  youthful  indiscretion.  Ever 
since  I  have  lived  at  the  devil's  expense.  I  am  as  hard 
to  curb  as  a  savage.  And  yet,  by  the  faith  of  Banaias, 
with  a  single  word  in  his  sweet  voice  our  friend  of 
Nazareth  could  make  me  go  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

"If  Jesus  can  not  come  himself,"  put  in  another 
drinker,  "he  will  send  word  to  us  with  one  of  his  dis- 
ciples, who  will  preach  the  glad  tidings  to  us  in  the 
master's  stead." 

"For  want  of  cakes  made  of  fine  wheaten  flour 
kneaded  with  honey,  one  eats  barley  bread, ' '  remarked 
an  old  beggar  bent  down  under  the  weight  of  years. 
"The  word  of  the  disciples  is  good — better  is  the  word 
of  the  master." 

"Oh,  yes!"  replied  another  beggar.  "To  us  who 
have  been  in  despair  since  our  birth  he  gives  eternal 
hope." 

"Jesus  teaches  us  that  we  are  not  lower  than  our 
masters;  by  what  right  do  they  keep  us  in  bondage?" 

"Is  the  reason  that,  if  there  are  a  hundred  masters 
on  one  side,  we  are  ten  thousand  slaves  on  the  other?" 
came  from  a  second  slave,  "Patience!  Patience!  The 

1  Luke,  17.3. 


*•  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

day  will  come  when  we  shall  count  our  masters,  and 
we  shall  count  ourselves.  After  which  the  words  of 
Jesus  will  be  accomplished — Many  that  are  first  shall 
be  last;  and  the  last  shall  be  the  first."1 

"He  said  to  us,  workingmen,  who,  due  to  the  weight 
of  the  taxes  and  the  greed  of  the  dealers  in  merchan- 
dise, often  are  in  want  for  bread  and  raiment,  our- 
selves and  our  wives  and  children  with  us:  'Take  no 
thought ;  God,  our  heavenly  father,  clothes  the  lilies  of 
the  field ;  he  feeds  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  a  day  will  come 
when  you  shall  lack  for  nothing. '  '  '2 

"Yes,  and  Jesus  also  added:  'The  workman  is 
worthy  of  his  meat.'  "3 

"Here  comes  the  master!  Here  comes  the  master!" 
cried  several  persons  standing  near  the  entrance  of  the 
tavern.  Aurelia,  no  less  curious  than  her  slave  Gene- 
vieve,  stepped  upon  a  bench  in  order  to  obtain  a  better 
view  of  the  young  master. 

The  expectation  of  the  crowd  was  disappointed.  It 
was  not  yet  he.  It  was  Peter,  one  of  his  disciples. 

"And  Jesus?" 

"Will  not  the  Nazarene  come  to-night?" 

"Shall  we  not  see  our  friend,  the  friend  of  the 
afflicted?" 

"Myself,  Judas  and  Simon,"  answered  Peter,  "were 
accompanying  him  and  came  as  far  as  the  city  gate 
when  a  poor  woman  who  saw  us  pass  begged  the  mas- 


1  Matthew.   19.30.  'Matthew.   10.10. 

5  Matthew,   C.28-34. 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS.  *» 

ter  to  go  to  her  house  and  visit  her  sick  daughter,  and 
he  did  so.  He  kept  Judas  and  Simon  near  him  and 
sent  me  to  you.  Those  who  wish  his  ministration  only 
need  to  wait  for  him  here.  He  will  come." 

The  words  of  the  disciple  calmed  the  impatience  of 
the  crowd,  and  Banaias,  the  man  with  the  long  cutlass, 
said  to  Peter: 

' '  While  we  wait  for  the  master,  tell  us  of  the  good 
tidings.  Is  the  time  drawing  near  when  the  gluttons, 
whose  belly  expands  in  the  measure  that  ours  caves  in, 
will  have  only  the  sulphur  and  pitch  of  hell  to  grow 
fat  upon?" 

"Yes,  that  day  draws  near!"  cried  Peter,  climbing 
upon  a  bench.  "Yes,  that  day  is  coming  as  comes  the 
stormy  night  charged  with  thunder  and  lightning !  Did 
not  the  Lord  say  through  the  mouth  of  his  prophet: 
'Behold,  I  will  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  pre- 
pare the  way  before  me?'  "* 

"Yes!    Yes!"  answered  several  voices. 

"Who  is  that  angel?"  replied  Peter.  "Who  is  that 
angel,  if  not  Jesus,  our  master,  the  Messiah — the  only 
true  Messiah!" 

"He  is  the  promised  angel!" 

"He  is  the  true  Messiah!" 

"And  that  angel  having  prepared  the  way,  what  does 
the  Lord  say  further  through  the  mouth  of  the 
prophet?"  continued  Peter.  "He  says: 

"  'And  I  will  come  near  to  you  to  judgment;  and  I 

iMalachl,   3.1. 


SO  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

will  be  a  swift  witness  against  the  sorcerers,  and 
against  the  adulterers,  and  against  false  swearers,  and 
against  those  that  oppress  the  hireling  in  his  wages, 
the  widow,  and  the  fatherless,  and  that  turn  aside  the 
stranger  from  his  right,  and  fear  not  me.'1  And  did 
not  the  Lord  also  add:  'There  is  a  generation  whose 
teeth  are  as  swords,  and  their  jaw  teeth  as  knives  to 
devour  the  poor  from  off  the  earth,  and  the  needy  from 
among  men'!"8 

"If  that  generation  has  knives  for  teeth,"  exclaimed 
Banaias,  grasping  his  cutlass,  "we  shall  bite  with 
ours!" 

"Oh,  may  the  day  come  when  those  who  oppress  the 
hireling  in  his  wages  shall  be  judged!  I  shall  deliver 
up  the  banker  Jonas  to  the  vengeance  of  the  Lord!" 
solemnly  declared  a  workingman.  "He  made  me  work 
secretly  upon  the  wainscoting  of  his  banquet  hall  on 
the  Sabbath  and  then  withheld  from  me  the  wages  of 
those  days.  I  wanted  to  lodge  a  complaint  against 
him,  and  he  threatened  to  denounce  me  to  the  chief 
priests  as  a  profaner  of  holy  days,  and  cast  me  into 
prison!" 

"And  do  you  know  why  the  banker  Jonas  oppressed 
you  in  your  wages?"  replied  Peter.  "Because  as  say- 
eth  the  prophet : 

"  'The  horseleach  has  two  daughters,  crying,  Give, 
give.'  "» 

»MalachI.  3.5  *  Proverbs,   30.15. 

•Proverbs.  30.14. 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS-  « 

"And  will  not  the  fat  horseleaches  some  day  have 
to  disgorge  all  the  blood  that  they  sucked  from  poor 
workingmen,  widows  and  orphans?"  loudly  asked  Ba- 
naias. 

"Yes,  yes,"  answered  the  disciple;  "our  prophets 
and  Jesus  have  announced  that  for  them  shall  be  weep- 
ing and  gnashing  of  teeth.1  But  when  the  thorns  which 
choke  the  grain  are  pulled  up,  the  wicked  kings,  the 
avaricious  and  the  usurers  uprooted  from  the  earth 
whose  sap  they  suck  up,  then  will  arrive  the  day  of 
happiness  for  all  and  justice  for  all.  And  when  that 
day  shall  have  arrived,  say  our  prophets: 

"  'Nations  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares, 
and  their  spears  into  pruning  hooks;  nation  shall  not 
lift  up  a  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn 
war  any  more.  But  they  shall  sit  every  man  under 
his  vine  and  under  his  fig  tree,  and  none  shall  make 
them  afraid. '  The  work  of  justice  shall  be  the  security, 
the  peace  and  the  happiness  of  every  one.  And  finally, 
'the  wolf  also  shall  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leop- 
ard shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the 
young  lion,  and  the  f atling  together ;  and  a  little  child 
shall  lead  them/  "2 

The  charming  picture  of  peace  and  universal  happi- 
ness seemed  to  make  a  profound  impression  upon  the 
audience  of  Peter.  Several  voices  cried: 


1  Matthew,    13.42. 

»  Micah,  4.3,4  ;    Isaiah,   11.6. 


52  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Oh,  may  that  day  come  soon!  Why  should  one 
race  cut  the  throat  of  another  race?" 

"How  much  blood  wasted!" 

"And  who  profits  by  it?  Only  the  conquering 
Pharaohs — the  men  of  blood,  of  battle  and  of  rapine." 

"Oh,  may  those  days  of  happiness,  of  justice  and 
of  good  will  come,  when,  as  the  prophets  say,  'a  little 
child  shall  lead  them.'  " 

"Yes,  a  little  child  will  be  sufficient.  "We  shall  all  be 
gentle  because  we  shall  all  be  happy;  we  shall  then  be 
peaceful  and  docile,  while  now  we  are  so  unhappy,  so 
angry,  so  exasperated  that  a  hundred  giants  could  not 
hold  us  in." 

"And  when  that  day  shall  have  come,"  Peter  pro- 
ceeded to  say,  "every  one  having  his  share  in  the  full- 
ness of  the  earth  that  will  be  rendered  fruitful  by  the 
labor  of  all,  all  being  certain  of  a  life  of  peace  and 
happiness,  then  no  longer  will  the  idle  be  seen  to  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  others '  toil.  Did  not  the  Lord  say  through 
the  mouth  of  the  son  of  David,  one  of  his  elect : 

"  'Yea,  I  hated  all  my  labor  which  I  had  taken  un- 
der the  sun,  because  I  should  leave  it  unto  the  man  that 
shall  be  after  me.  For  there  is  a  man  whose  labor  is  in 
wisdom,  and  in  knowledge  and  in  equity ;  yet  to  a  man 
that  hath  not  labored  therein  shall  he  leave  it  for  his 
portion.  And  who  knows  whether  he  shall  be  a  wise 
man  or  a  fool  ?  This  also  is  vanity  and  a  great  evil. '  ' n 

"You  know,"  added  the  apostle,  "the  voice  of  the 
son  of  David  is  holy  as  justice  itself.  No,  he  who  doeg 

1  EccloBlaatee,  2.18,21. 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS.  *» 

not  work,  should  nol  profit  by  the  work  of  others!" 

"But  suppose  I  have  children,"  called  out  a  voice; 
"if,  by  depriving  myself  of  rest  and  of  the  half  of  my 
daily  bread,  I  succeed  in  saving  up  something  for  them 
in  order  to  save  them  the  necessity  of  experiencing  the 
hardships  that  I  underwent,  would  it  be  wrong  for  me 
to  bequeath  my  property  to  them?" 

' '  Eh !  Who  speaks  to  you  of  the  present  ? ' '  answered 
Peter.  "Who  speaks  to  you  of  these  days  when  the 
strong  oppress  the  weak,  the  rich  the  poor,  the  unjust 
the  just,  the  master  the  slave?  In  seasons  of  storms 
and  tempests  each  raises  a  shelter  for  himself  and  his 
family,  that  is  but  right !  But  when  the  times  promised 
by  the  prophets  shall  have  come,  benign  times,  when  a 
beneficent  sun  will  always  shine;  when  there  will  be 
no  more  storms;  when  the  birth  of  every  child  will  be 
greett d  with  joyful  chants  as  a  blessing  from  the  Lord, 
instead  of  being  wept  over,  as  happens  to-day,  as  an 
affiiction,  because,  conceived  in  tears,  the  human  being 
of  to-day  lives  and  dies  in  tears,  while,  on  the 
contrary,  the  child  conceived  in  joy  is  bound  to  live  in 
joy;  when  labor,  to-day  excessive,  will  itself  be  a  joy, 
so  abundant  will  be  the  fruits  of  the  land  promised  by 
the  Lord — then  every  one,  feeling  at  ease  about  his 
children's  future,  will  no  longer  be  compelled  to  lay 
up  stores,  and  gather  treasures  for  them  by  depriving 
and  working  himself  to  death.  No  !  No !  When  Israel 
will  finally  enjoy  the  kingdom  of  God,  each  will  work 
for  all,  and  all  for  each!" 


54  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Instead  of,  as  happens  to-day,"  said  the  working- 
man  who  complained  of  the  iniquity  of  the  banker 
Jonas,  ' '  all  work  for  some  few,  who  work  for  none  and 
enjoy  the  work  of  all." 

"As  to  such  people,"  Peter  proceeded,  "our  master 
of  Nazareth  has  said: 

"  'The  son  of  man  shall  send  forth  his  angels,  and 
they  shall  gather  out  of  his  kingdom  all  things  that 
offend,  and  them  who  do  iniquity ;  and  shall  cast  them 
into  a  furnace  of  fire ;  there  shall  be  wailing  and  gnash- 
ing of  teeth.'  m 

"And  it  would  be  no  more  than  just,"  observed 
Oliba,  the  courtesan,  "because  they  it  is  who  force  us 
to  sell  our  bodies  in  order  to  escape  the  gnashings  of 
the  teeth  that  hunger  causes." 

"It  is  they  who  compel  mothers  to  traffic  with  their 
children  sooner  than  to  see  them  die  of  want!"  ex- 
claimed another  courtesan.  "We  are  meat  for  prostitu- 
tion!" 

"Oh!   When  will  that  day  of  justice  come?" 

"It  is  coming!  It  approaches!"  answered  Peter  in 
a  resounding  voice.  "Evil,  iniquity,  violence  reigns 
everywhere,  not  here,  in  Judea,  only,  but  throughout 
the  world,  which  is  the  Roman  world.  Oh!  The  ills 
that  afflict  Israel  are  as  nothing  beside  the  frightful 
ills  that  overwhelm  her  sister  nations !  The  whole  uni- 
verse is  weeping  and  bleeding  under  the  triple  yoke 
of  Roman  ferocity,  debauchery  and  greed!  From  one 
end  of  the  world  to  the  other,  from  Syria  to  down- 


i  Matthew,   13.41-42. 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS-  56 

trodden  Gaul,  one  hears  the  clanking  of  chains  and 
the  moanings  of  slaves,  borne  down  with  toil ;  wretched 
beings  among  the  wretched  of  the  earth,  they  sweat 
blood  at  every  pore !  More  to  be  pitied  than  the  beast 
of  the  forests  that  dies  in  his  den,  or  than  the  beast 
of  burden  that  dies  on  his  litter,  the  slaves  are  tor- 
tured and  thrown  to  the  teeth  of  ferocious  animals! 
If  they  try  to  break  their  chains  they  are  smothered  in 
their  own  blood !  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus,  our  master,  verily  I  say  unto  you  that  can 
not  endure!" 

"No !  No !"  cried  several  voices.  "No  !  that  can  not 
endure!" 

"Our  master  is  sorrowful,"  continued  the  disciple. 
"Oh!  .He  is  sorrowful  unto  death  thinking  of  the  hor- 
rible deeds,  the  vengeances,  the  shocking  reprisals  that 
so  many  centuries  of  oppression  and  iniquity  are  about 
to  unchain  upon  earth.  Day  before  yesterday  the 
master  said  to  us: 

"  'When  you  shall  hear  of  wars  and  rumors  of  wars, 
be  you  not  troubled;  for  such  things  must  needs  be; 
but  the  end  shall  not  be  yet.  For  nation  shall  rise 
against  nation,  and  kingdom  against  kingdom;  and 
there  shall  be  earthquakes  in  divers  places,  and  there 
shall  be  famines  and  troubles,  and  fearful  sights  and 
great  signs  shall  there  be  from  heaven,  men's  hearts 
failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after  those  things 
which  are  coming  on  the  earth;  for  the  powers  of 
heaven  shall  be  shaken.'  m 

~» Mark,   13.7-8 ;   Luke,   21.11  26, 


5«  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

A  rumbling  murmur  of  dread  ran  through  the  crowd 
at  these  prophecies  of  Jesus  reported  by  Peter,  and 
several  voices  cried: 

"Terrific  storms  must  be  about  to  burst  forth  from 
heaven!" 

"So  much  the  better!  The  clouds  of  iniquity  must 
needs  burst  that  the  heavens  may  be  cleared,  and*the 
eternal  sun  shine  in  all  its  splendor!" 

"And  if  they  grind  their  teeth  on  earth  before  grind- 
ing them  in  the  eternal  flames,  the  self-seeking  rich, 
the  chief  priests,  the  crowned  Pharaohs  will  have 
brought  it  upon  themselves!"  cried  Banaias. 

"Yes!   Yes!   It  is  so!   Vengeance!" 

"Oh!"  proceeded  Banaias,  "it  is  not  to-day  that  the 
prophets  have  been  shouting  the  warning  in  their  ears : 
Repent !  Be  good !  Be  just !  Be  merciful !  Look  down 
to  your  feet  instead  of  admiring  yourselves  in  your 
pride!  Begone,  surfeited  gluttons  that  you  are!  You 
reject  the  most  delicate  meats !  You  fall  down  gorged 
with  wine  beside  your  cups  full  to  the  brim !  You  ask 
yourselves:  'Shall  I  don  to-day  my  robe  lined  with 
gold  embroidery,  or  my  plush  mantle  embroidered  in 
silver'?  And  all  the  while  your  neighbor,  shivering 
with  cold  beneath  his  rags,  is  not  allowed  even  a  sip 
from  your  cup,  or  to  lick  up  the  crumbs  of  your  feasts ' 
By  the  entrails  of  Jeremiah !  That  sort  of  thing  has 
endured  quite  long  enough!" 

"Yes!  Yes!"  cried  several  voices.  "That  sort  of 
thing  has  endured  too  long!  The  most  patient  finally 
grow  tired !  Death  to  the  plunderers  of  the  people ! ' ' 


THE  TAVERN  OF  THE  WILD  ASS.  67 

"The  most  peaceful  ox  some  day  turns  upon  the 
goad!" 

"And  what  a  goad  hunger  is!" 

"Yes!"  resumed  Peter.  "Yes,  this  sort  of  thing  has 
endured  too  long !  This  sort  of  thing  has  lasted  but  too 
long.  Accordingly,  Jesus  our  master  has  said: 

' '  '  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  has 
anointed  me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  poor;  he  has 
sent  me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted;  to  preach  deliver- 
ance to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.  For  these  be  the  days 
of  vengeance,  that  all  things  which  are  written  may  be 
fulfilled.'"1 

These  words  of  the  Nazarene,  reported  to  the  crowd 
by  Peter,  aroused  fresh  enthusiasm.  Genevieve  over- 
heard one  of  the  two  emissaries  of  the  law  and  of  the 
chief  priests  say  to  the  other: 

"This  time  the  Nazarene  shall  not  escape  us.  Such 
prophecies  render  him  amenable  to  the  laws  and  pun- 
ishments provided  against  the  seditious." 

But  a  new  and  loud  murmur  was  at  this  moment 
heard  on  the  outside  of  the  tavern  of  the  Wild  Ass,  and 
this  only  cry  was  repeated  by  all: 

"It  is  he!    It  is  he!" 

"It  is  our  friend!" 

"Here  he  is!" 

"It  is  he!" 

"Here  he  is!" 


1  Lnke.  4.18.18  ;  21.22. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH. 

Upon  now  learning  of  the  arrival  of  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, the  guests  that  filled  the  tavern  struggled  and 
crowded  to  meet  the  young  master.  The  mothers,  who 
held  little  children  in  their  arms,  strove  to  be  the  first 
to  approach  Jesus.  The  infirm,  taking  up  their  crutches, 
begged  their  neighbors  to  open  a  way  for  them.  Al- 
ready the  moving  and  charitable  influence  of  the  word 
of  Mary's  son  was  such  that  the  able-bodied  stepped 
aside  in  order  to  clear  a  passage  to  him  for  the  mothers 
and  the  cripples. 

Joanna,  Aurelia  and  her  slave  shared  the  general 
emotion.  Above  all  did  Genevieve,  the  daughter,  wife, 
and  perhaps  some  day  mother  of  slaves,  feel  her  heart 
beat  strongly  at  the  sight  of  him,  who,  as  he  said, 
came  to  announce  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  set 
free  those  who  were  weighed  down  under  their  chains. 

At  last  Genevieve  saw  him. 

The  son  of  Mary,  the  friend  of  little  children,  of 
poor  mothers,  of  the  afflicted  and  of  the  slaves,  was 
dressed  like  the  rest  of  his  countrymen,  the  Israelites. 
He  wore  a  robe  of  white  linen  held  around  his  waist 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  » 

with  a  leather  girdle  from  which  hung  an  alms  bag.  A 
square  blue  mantle  covered  his  shoulders.  His  long, 
gold-blonde  hair  fell  on  either  side  of  his  pale  visage 
of  an  angelic  sweetness.  His  lips  and  chin  were  slight- 
ly shaded  by  a  light  growth  of  beard  with  a  golden  glint 
like  his  hair.  His  bearing  was  cordial  and  familiar. 
He  clasped  fraternally  all  the  hands  held  out  to  him. 
Several  times  he  stooped  down  to  embrace  some  ragged 
child  who  held  the  lappets  of  his  robe,  and  smiling 
with  benignity  he  said  to  the  men  and  women  who 
crowded  around  him: 

' '  Suffer  them — suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto 
me!" 

Judas,  a  man  of  somber  and  sullen  countenance,  to- 
gether with  Simon  and  other  disciples  of  Jesus,  ac- 
companied him,  each  carrying  a  little  casket  from 
which,  after  questioning  each  patient  and  attentively 
listening  to  his  answers,  the  son  of  Mary  would  take 
some  medicament  which  he  would  give  tp  the  sick  and 
the  women  who  came  to  consult  his  science,  either  in 
their  own  behalf  or  that  of  their  children.  More  than 
once  did  Jesus  accompany  the  advice  and  balms  which 
he  distributed  with  a  little  money  gift  that  he  took 
from  the  alms  bag  hanging  from  his  belt.  So  heavily 
and  frequently  did  he  draw  upon  his  alms  bag  that, 
having  once  more  thrust  in  his  hand,  he  smiled  sadly 
at  finding  the  pouch  empty.  After  turning  the  same 
inside  out,  he  made  a  touching  sign  of  regret,  as  if  to 
announce  that  he  had  nothing  more  to  give.  As  those 


«0  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

whom  he  succored  with  his  advice,  his  balms  and  his 
money  thanked  him  effusively,  he  answered  them  in 
his  sweet  voice: 

"It  is  the  Lord  God,  our  heavenly  father,  whom  you 
must  thank,  not  me.  Peace  be  with  you!" 

"If  your  money  treasure  is  exhausted,  my  friend, 
there  remains  to  you  another,  an  inexhaustible  treas- 
ure— the  treasure  of  your  good  words,"  said  Banaias, 
who  had  elbowed  his  way  near  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and 
contemplated  him  with  a  mixture  of  respect  and  ten- 
derness that  caused  one  to  forget  his  savage  ugliness. 

"Yes,"  replied  another;  "tell  us,  Jesus,  the  things 
that  we  humble  and  lowly  people  understand." 

"The  language  of  our  holy  prophets  is  divine — but 
it  is  frequently  not  to  be  understood  of  us  poor 
people." 

"Oh,  yes,  our  good  Jesus,"  added  a  handsome  boy 
who  had  glided  into  the  front  ranks  and  held  a  lappet 
of  the  robe  of  the  young  master  of  Nazareth.  "Tell  us 
one  of  those  parables  that  are  so  pleasant  to  hear,  and 
which  we  retain  in  our  memory  to  repeat  to  our  moth- 
ers and  brothers." 

"No,  No!"  put  in  other  voices.  "Before  the  para- 
ble deliver  to  us  one  of  your  beautiful  discourses 
against  the  wicked  rich,  the  powerful,  and  the  proud!" 

"And,  above  all,  our  friend,"  interjected  Banaias, 
"tell  us  when  those  Pharaohs  will  be  gathered  unto 
Beelzebub,  their  lord  and  master." 

But  the  son  of  Mary  pointed  with  a  smile  to  the  little 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  61 

child  who  had  first  asked  for  a  parable,  and  took  him 
upon  his  knees  after  seating  himself  near  a  table. 
Thus  exhibiting  his  tenderness  for  infancy,  the  son  of 
Mary  seemed  to  say  that  the  dear  little  boy  should  be 
first  satisfied  in  his  desire. 

All  then  grouped  themselves  around  Jesus.  The 
children,  who  loved  him  so  much,  sat  down  at  his  feet. 
Oliba  and  other  courtesans  also  sat  down  on  the  floor 
in  Oriental  fashion,  with  their  arms  around  their 
knees,  and  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  young  master  of 
Nazareth  in  eager  expectation.  Banaias,  together  with 
several  others  of  his  stamp,  gathered  behind  the  young 
master  and  ordered  silence  to  the  expectant  multitude. 
Finally,  others,  further  away,  among  whom  were  Jo- 
anna, Aurelia  and  her  slave  Genevieve,  formed  a  sec- 
ond tier  by  rising  on  the  benches. 

The  son  of  Mary,  keeping  upon  his  knees  the  boy, 
who,  with  one  arm  resting  on  the  shoulder  of  his  good 
Jesus,  seemed  to  hang  upon  his  lips,  the  son  of  Mary 
commenced  the  following  parable: 

"A  certain  man  had  two  sons: 

"And  the  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father:  Father, 
give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falls  to  me.  And  he 
divided  unto  them  his  living. 

"And  not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gath- 
ered all  together,  and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  coun- 
try, and  there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  liv- 
ing. 

"And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty 


62  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

famine  in  that  land,  and  he  began  to  be  in  want. 

''And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that 
country,  and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed  swine. 

"And  he  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with  the 
husks  that  the  swine  did  eat,  and  no  man  gave  unto 
him." 

At  this  passage  in  the  story,  the  boy,  whom  the  son 
"i  Mary  held  upon  his  knees,  heaved  a  sigh  and  clasped 
his  hands  pityingly. 

Jesus  continued: 

"And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said:  How  many 
hired  servants  of  my  father's  have  bread  enough  and 
to  spare  and  I  perish  with  hunger !  I  will  rise  and  go 
unto  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  Father,  I  have 
sinned  against  heaven,  and  before  you.  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  your  son ;  make  me  as  one  of  your 
hired  servants. 

"And  he  arose  and  came  to  his  father.  But  when  he 
was  yet  a  great  way  off,  his  father  saw  him,  and  had 
compassion,  and  ran,  and  fell  on  his  neck,  and  kissed 
him. 

"And  the  son  said  unto  him,  Father,  I  have  sinned 
against  heaven,  and  in  your  sight,  and  am  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  your  son. 

"But  the  father  said  to  his  servants.  Bring  forth  the 
best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him;  and  put  a  ring  on  his 
hand,  and  shoes  on  his  feet;  and  bring  hither  the  fatted 
calf,  and  kill  it ;  and  let  us  eat  and  be  merry,  for  this 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  M 

my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again ;  he  was  lost,  and  is 
found.  And  they  began  to  be  merry." 

"Oh!  The  good  father!"  exclaimed  the  child  whom 
the  young  master  of  Nazareth  held  on  his  knees.  "Oh! 
The  good,  kind  father,  who  forgives,  and  embraces  in- 
stead of  scolding!" 

Jesus  smiled,  kissed  the  boy  on  his  forehead,  and 
proceeded : 

"And  they  began  to  be  merry. 

"Now  his  elder  son  was  in  the  field:  and  as  he  came 
and  drew  nigh  to  the  house,  he  heard  music  and  danc- 
ing. 

"And  he  called  one  of  the  servants  and  asked  what 
these  things  meant. 

"And  he  said  unto  him,  Your  brother  is  come;  and 
your  father  has  killed  the  fatted  calf,  because  he  has 
received  him  safe  and  sound. 

"And  he  was  angry,  and  would  not  go  in:  therefore 
came  his  father  out,  and  threatened  him. 

"And  he,  answering,  said  to  his  father:  Lo,  these 
many  years  do  I  serve  you,  neither  transgressed  I  at 
any  time  your  commandment ;  and  yet  you  never  gave 
me  a  kid,  that  I  might  make  merry  with  my  friends. 
But  as  soon  as  this  your  son  was  come,  which  has  de- 
voured your  living  with  harlots,  you  have  killed  for 
him  the  fatted  calf." 

"Oh!  How  wicked  is  that  elder  brother!"  said  the 
child  whom  the  young  master  held  upon  his  knees. 
"He  is  envious  of  his  younger  brother,  notwithstanding 


64  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

he  returns  home  so  wretched.  God  will  not  love  the 
envious  brother.  Not  so,  good  Jesus!" 

The  son  of  Mary  shook  his  head  as  if  to  answer  the 
child  that,  indeed,  God  did  not  love  the  envious,  and 
proceeded : 

"And  the  father  said  unto  his  first  born:  Son,  you 
are  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  I  have  is  yours.  It  was 
meet  that  we  should  make  merry,  and  be  glad;  for 
this  your  brother  was  dead,  and  is  alive  again;  and 
was  lost,  and  is  found."1 

All  the  people  present  seemed  touched  to  tears  by 
this  narrative.  The  son  of  Mary  having  stopped  speak- 
ing to  drink  a  glass  of  wine  that  Judas,  his  disciple, 
poured  out  to  him,  Banaias,  who  had  listened  to  him 
with  profound  attention,  cried  out: 

"Our  friend,  do  you  know  that  that  somewhat  re- 
sembles my  own  history,  and  is  very  much  like  that 
of  many  other  people?  If,  after  my  first  youthful 
slip,  my  father  had  acted  like  the  father  in  your  para- 
ble, and  had  stretched  out  his  arms  to  me  in  token  of 
forgiveness,  instead  of  driving  me  out  of  the  house 
with  a  merciless  caning,  I  might  at  this  hour  be  seated 
at  my  own  honest  hearth,  in  the  midst  of  my  family, 
whereas  to-day  the  highroad  is  my  hearth,  misery  my 
wife,  and  for  children  I  have  my  evil  thoughts,  the 
spawn  of  wild-eyed  Mother  Misery.  Oh !  Why  did  I 
not  have  the  man  of  that  parable  for  my  father!" 

"The  indulgent  father  forgave,"  observed  Oliba  the 

»I,uke  15.11-32. 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  .  ,«* 

courtesan,  "  because  he  knew  that  God  having  given 
youth  to  his  creatures,  these  sometimes  abuse  the  boon. 
But  those  who,  disgraced,  wretched  and  repentful,  re- 
turn humbly  beseeching  a  little  corner  under  the  pa- 
ternal roof,  should  not  they,  so  far  from  being  spurned, 
be  received  with  mercy?" 

"As  to  me,"  exclaimed  another  voice,  "I  would  not 
give  a  grape-stone  for  that  elder  brother,  for  that 
sanctimonious  man,  so  harsh,  so  sour  and  so  jealous, 
to  whom  virtue  cost  nothing!" 

Genevieve  overheard  one  of  the  emissaries  of  the 
Pharisees  say  to  his  companion: 

"Does  not  the  Nazarene  flatter  in  a  dangerous  man- 
ner the  evil  instincts  of  these  vagabonds !  Henceforth, 
every  idle  debauchee,  who  will  have  left  the  paternal 
home,  will  believe  himself  justified  to  consign  his  father 
to  Beelzebub  if  the  ill-advised  father,  instead  of  kill- 
ing the  fatted  calf,  chases  out  of  doors,  as  he  ought  to, 
the  villainous  son  whom  only  hunger  drives  back  to 
the  fold." 

"Yes,  and  all  wise  and  honest  people  will  be  con- 
sidered hard-hearted  and  jealous." 

And  this  same  man,  believing  that  no  one  would 
know  who  spoke,  said  aloud: 

' '  Glory  to  you,  Jesus  of  Nazareth !  Glory  to  you,  the 
protector  and  defender  of  us  dissipators  and  prosti- 
tutes! It  is  folly  to  be  virtuous  and  provident.  The 
fatted  calf  must  be  killed  for  the  debauched!" 

Loud  murmurs  of  disapprobation  received  the  words 


W  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

of  the  emissary  of  the  Pharisees.  All  eyes  turned  in 
the  direction  whence  the  words  had  come.  Threats 
were  uttered. 

"Away  with  these  men,  these  inexorable  beasts!" 

"Oh !  They  are  pitiless.  They  have  no  entrails,  these 
people  whom  repentance  never  moves,"  remarked  the 
courtesan  Oliba.  "These  cold  bodies  that  do  not  real- 
ize that  the  blood  boils  with  others." 

"Let  the  one  who  thus  spoke  show  himself!"  shouted 
Banaias,  striking  the  table  with  his  heavy  iron-tipped 
stick  in  a  threatening  manner.  "Yes,  let  him  show  us 
his  virtuous  face,  the  scrupulous  worthy,  who  is  se- 
verer than  our  friend  of  Nazareth,  the  brother  of  the 
poor,  of  the  sorrowful  and  of  the  sick,  whom  he  sup- 
ports, heals  and  consoles !  By  the  ear  of  Zerubbabel !  I 
would  like  to  meet  him  face  to  face,  the  spotless  white 
lamb,  who  bleats  his  virtues  to  us.  Where  is  he,  that 
immaculate  lily  of  the  valley  of  men  1  He  surely  smells 
virtue  like  a  veritable  balm,"  added  Banaias,  dilating 
his  large  nostrils.  "By  the  nose  of  Malachi!  I  do  not 
smell  at  all  the  aroma  of  wisdom,  that  perfume  of  hon- 
esty that  surely  the  sweet-scented  choice  vase  hidden 
among  us  should  emit." 

The  witticism  of  Banaias  caused  great  mirth  to  the 
audience,  and  the  one  of  the  two  emissaries  who  had 
uttered  the  satire  against  the  words  of  the  son  of  Mary 
did  not  seem  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  meet  the  wishes  of 
the  redoubtable  friend  of  the  Nazarene.  On  the  con- 
trary, he,  as  well  as  his  companion,  affected  to  look 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  «7 

around,  as  the  other  guests  did,  for  the  man  from  whom 
the  words  had  proceeded. 

The  tumult  was  on  the  increase  when  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth  made  a  sign  that  he  wished  to 
speak.  The  tempest  subsided  as  if  by  magic,  and,  an- 
swering to  the  reproach  of  being  too  indulgent  towards 
the  sinners,  Jesus  said  in  an  accent  of  kind  severity : 

"What  man  of  you,  having  an  hundred  sheep,  if  he 
lose  one  of  them,  does  not  leave  the  ninety  and  nine 
in  the  wilderness,  and  go  after  that  which  is  lost,  until 
he  find  it?  And  when  he  has  found  it,  he  lays  it  on 
his  shoulders,  rejoicing.  And  when  he  comes  home, 
he  calls  together  his  friends  and  neighbors,  saying  unto 
them,  Rejoice  with  me;  for  I  have  found  my  sheep 
which  was  lost.  I  say  unto  you,"  added  the  son  of 
Mary  in  a  tone  of  grave  and  tender  authority,  "I  say 
unto  you,  that  likewise  joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one 
sinner  that  repenteth,  more  than  over  ninety-nine  per- 
sons which  need  no  repentance."1 

These  touching  words  of  the  son  of  Mary  made  a 
strong  impression  upon  the  crowd.  It  applauded  with 
hands  and  words. 

"Answer  that,  my  white  lambkin,  my  spotless  lily!" 
again  shouted  Banaias,  addressing  the  invisible  inter- 
rupter of  the  Nazarene.  "If  you  do  not  share  the 
opinion  of  our  friend,  step  forward  and  repeat  and 
make  good  your  words." 

"The  wonderful  merit,  as  Jesus  says,"  observed  an- 

»Luk«  15.4-7. 


68  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

other,  "the  wonderful  merit  for  him  who  is  neither 
hungry  nor  thirsty,  to  be  neither  gluttonous  nor  a 
drunkard!" 

"Easy  is  virtue  to  him  who  lacks  for  nothing,"  said 
the  courtesan  Oliba.  "Hunger  and  neglect  ruin  more 
women  than  dissipation." 

Suddenly  there  was  a  peculiar  stir  among  the  crowd 
that  filled  the  tavern,  and  the  name  of  Magdalen  trav- 
eled from  lip  to  lip. 

"She  is  one  of  those  creatures  who  make  a  traffic 
of  their  bodies,"  Joanna  informed  Aurelia.  "It  is  not 
want  that  plunged  her,  as  it  does  so  many  others,  into 
this  degradation,  but  a  first  slip,  followed  by  the  de- 
sertion of  the  man  who  seduced  her,  and  whom  she 
truly  loved.  Since  then,  despite  the  disorders  of  her 
life  and  the  venality  of  her  amours,  Magdalen  has 
proved  that  her  heart  was  not  wholly  corrupted.  The 
poor  never  apply  to  her  in  vain,  and  she  has  passion- 
ately loved  several  men  with  a  love  as  devoted  as  it  was 
disinterested,  sacrificing  to  them  the  chief  priests,  thn 
doctors  of  the  law  and  many  a  rich  seigneur  who  vied 
with  his  fellows  in  the  gifts  that  he  lavished  upon  her. 
My  husband,  among  others,  was  of  the  number  of 
those  magnificent  admirers — " 

"Tour  husband,  dear  Joanna?" 

"He  spent  a  good  deal  of  money  upon  Magdalen — 
•he  is  so  beautiful,"  answered  the  young  dame  with  an 
indulgent  smile.  "He  is  one  of  those  who  have  en- 
riched her.  Marvels  are  told  of  her  house,  or  rather 


,        THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.       69 

of  the  palace  that  she  inhabits.  Her  coffers  are  filled 
with  the  rarest  cloths  and  the  most  dazzling  stones. 
Gold  and  silver  vases,  imported  at  a  great  expense 
from  Rome,  Asia  and  Greece,  are  heaped  upon  her 
sideboards.  The  purple  and  silk  of  Tyre  ornament  her 
residence;  and  her  domestic  servants  are  as  numerous 
as  those  of  a  Princess." 

' '  We  also  have  in  Italy  and  in  Roman  Gaul  creatures 
like  her,  the  insolent  luxury  of  whom  abashes  the  medi- 
ocre fortunes  of  many  honest  women,"  answered  Au- 
relia.  "But  what  can  this  Magdalen  want  with  the 
young  master  of  Nazareth?" 

' '  No  doubt  she  comes,  like  several  others  of  her  class 
whom  you  see  yonder,  less  rich  but  no  less  degraded 
than  herself,  to  listen  to  the  words  of  Jesus.  His  sweet 
and  tender  word,  which  penetrates  the  heart  with  its 
mercifulness,  affects  them  and  causes  repentance  to 
germinate." 

As  she  heard  these  words  spoken  by  Joanna.  Gene- 
vieve  was  reminded  of  the  narrative  of  Sylvest,  her 
husband's  grandfather,  a  narrative  that  described  the 
horrible  life  of  Syomara  the  courtesan,  and  her  fright- 
ful death.1 

"Perhaps,"  thought  Genevieve  to  herself,  "perhaps 
Syomara  also  might  have  been  touched  with  repent- 
ance and  her  end  might  have  been  peaceable  if.  like 
this  Magdalen  that  they  speak  about,  she  could  have 


1  The  third  story  of  tb?«  <">rf»i,       Faustina  and  Syomara." 
and  entitled  "The  Iron  Collar ;  Of, 


TO  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

heard  the  healing  instructions  of  this  young  man." 

"There  she  is!"  cried  several  voices.  "Room  for 
Magdalen,  the  beauty  among  the  most  beautiful!" 

"Our  Princess!"  remarked  her  companion  to  Oliba, 
with  a  certain  touch  of  pride.  "After  all,  our  Queen 
is  Magdalen!" 

"A  sad  royalty ! ' '  answered  Oliba  with  a  sigh.  ' ' Her 
shame  is  seen  from  higher  up — and  further  away ! ' ' 

"But  she  is  so  rich — so  very  rich!" 

"To  Bell  one's  self  for  a  denier  or  for  a  heap  of 
gold,"  replied  the  courtesan,  "where  is  the  difference? 
The  ignominy  is  the  same." 

"Oliba,  you  are  completely  losing  your  senses!" 

The  young  woman  made  no  answer,  and  sighed. 

Standing,  like  her  mistress,  upon  a  bench,  Genevieve 
raised  herself  on  tip-toes,  and  presently  saw  the  cele- 
brated courtesan  enter  the  court  of  the  tavern. 

Magdalen  was  of  exceptional  beauty.  The  chin- 
piece  of  her  gold-fringed  white  silk  turban  framed  a 
face  of  an  admirable  perfection.  Her  long-arched  eye- 
brows, black  as  ebony,  like  the  strands  of  her  hair, 
traced  their  dainty  lines  upon  that  hitherto  brazen  and 
proud,  but  now  sad  and  humble  forehead.  The  woman 
seemed  heart-broken.  The  edges  of  her  eyelids,  stained 
bluish  after  the  fashion  of  the  Orient,  imparted  an 
uncommon  appearance  to  her  tear-drowned  eyes,  and 
seemed  to  double  their  size  as  they  shone  through  their 
tears  like  two  black  diamonds.  A  long  robe  of  light 
blue  Tyrian  silk  fringed  with  gold  and  embroidered 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  Tl 

with  pearls  fell  in  a  long  train  behind  her,  and  around 
her  waist  she  had  a  flowing  scarf  of  cloth  of  gold  stud- 
ded with  many-colored  stones  matching  those  of  her 
double  necklace,  her  ear-rings,  and  the  bracelets  which 
covered  her  bare  and  handsome  arms  in  which  she  held 
a  rose-colored  alabaster  urn  from  Chalcedon,  more  pre- 
cious than  gold. 

"What  a  change  has  come  over  Magdalen!"  ex- 
claimed Joanna,  addressing  Aurelia.  "I  have  seen  her 
pass  &  score  of  times  in  her  litter,  borne  by  her  servi- 
tors dressed  in  rich  liveries,  the  triumph  of  beauty,  the 
intoxication  and  delight  of  youth  legible  on  her  face. 
Yet  now,  behold  her  timidly  approaching  Jesus,  hum- 
ble, depressed,  tearful,  and  sadder  than  the  most  deso- 
late of  those  poor  women  who  hold  their  ragged  chil- 
dren in  their  arms." 

"But  what  is  she  about?"  inquired  Aurelia,  watch- 
ing more  and  more  attentively.  "She  is  standing  be- 
fore the  young  master  of  Nazareth.  With  one  hand  she 
holds  the  alabaster  urn  close  to  her  heaving  bosom, 
while  with  the  other  hand  she  is  unloosing  her  rich 
turban.  She  casts  it  far  away  from  her.  Her  black, 
luxurious  hair,  tumbling  down  upon  her  breast  and 
shoulders,  unrolls  like  a  jetty  mantle,  down  to  the 
ground. ' ' 

"Oh!  Look!  Look!  her  tears  flow  more  copious!" 
exclaimed  Joanna.  "They  inundate  her  face." 

"She  has  knelt  down  at  the  feet  of  the  son  of  Mary," 


72  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

said  Aurelia,  "and  bathes  them  with  tears  and  covers 
them  with  kisses." 

"What  heart-rending  sobs!" 

' '  And  the  tears  that  she  sheds  upon  the  feet  of  Jesus 
— she  is  wiping  them  with  her  long  hair."1 

"Watch  her!  Without  ceasing  to  weep,  she  takes  up 
her  elaborate  urn  and  pours  upon  the  feet  of  Jesus  a 
delicious  perfume,  the  odor  of  which  reaches  even  as 
far  as  here." 

"The  young  master  tries  to  raise  her — she  resists. 
She  can  not  speak.  Her  sobs  break  her  voice.  She 
bows  her  head  down  to  the  floor." 

Then  Jesus,  who  could  scarcely  restrain  his  emo- 
tion, turned  to  Simon,  one  of  his  disciples,  and  ad- 
dressing him,  said: 

' '  There  was  a  certain  creditor  who  had  two  debtors : 
the  one  owed  five  hundred  pence,  and  the  other  fifty: 
And  when  they  had  nothing  to  pay,  ho,  frankly  forgave 
them  both.  Tell  me,  therefore,  which  of  them  will  love 
him  more?" 

Simon  answered  and  said: 

"Master,  I  suppose  that  he  whom  he  forgave  most." 

"You  have  rightly  judged,  Simon." 

And  pointing  to  the  rich  courtesan  on  her  knees  at 
his  feet,  Jesus  said  to  those  around  him : 

"See  ye  this  woman?  I  say  unto  ye.  Her  sins,  which 
are  many,  are  forgiven,  for  she  loved  much." 

» Luke  15.38. 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  T3 

Then  addressing  Magdalen  in  a  voice  instinct  with 
kindness : 

''Your  sins  are  forgiven — your  faith  has  saved  you; 
go  in  peace."1 

"Abomination  of  desolation!"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
emissaries  of  the  Pharisees  in  a  low  voice  to  his  com- 
panion. "Can  brazenness  and  demoralization  be  car- 
ried to  greater  length!  The  Nazarene  forgives  every- 
thing that  is  reprehensible,  absolves  everything  that 
is  punishable,  extols  all  that  is  low!  After  rehabili- 
tating the  profligate  and  prodigal,  we  now  have  him 
rehabilitating  infamous  harlots!" 

"And  what  for?"  replied  the  other  emissary.  "Sim- 
ply in  order  to  flatter  the  vices  and  detestable  passions 
of  the  villains  that  he  gathers  around  him,  to  the  end 
that  he  may  some  day  use  them. ' ' 

"But,  patience!"  said  the  other.  "Patience!  Naza- 
rene, your  hour  draws  nigh!  Your  ever-increasing 
audacity  will  soon  draw  a  terrible  punishment  upon 
your  head!" 

While  Genevieve  heard  the  two  wicked  men  express 
these  sentiments,  she  saw  Magdalen,  after  the  merciful 
words  of  Jesus,  rise  radiant.  Tears  still  rolled  down 
her  beautiful  face,  but  those  tears  no  longer  seemed 
bitter.  She  distributed  among  the  poor  women  who 
surrounded  her  the  precious  stones  and  jewels  that  she 
was  ornamented  with.  She  even  unclasped  the  mag- 
nificent robe  that  she  wore  over  her  tunic  of  fine  Sidon 


7.40-60. 


74  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

material,  and  donned  the  coarse  brown  woolen  mantle 
of  a  young  woman,  to  whom  she  gave  in  exchange  her 
own  richly  pearl-embroidered  robe  of  great  value.  She 
then  said  to  Simon,  the  disciple  of  the  young  master, 
that  she  would  never  quit  her  humble  vestments, 
and  that  the  very  next  day  she  would  distribute  all  her 
property  among  the  needy,  and  among  the  courtesans 
whom  only  their  misery  kept  from  returning  to  a  bet- 
ter life. 

At  these  acts,  which  were  accompanied  with  words  of 
kindness,  Oliba  clasped  her  hands,  and  moved  by  an 
impulse  of  gratitude,  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  Mag- 
dalen, took  her  hands,  kissed  them  amid  sobs  and  said : 

"Blessed  be  you,  Magdalen!  Oh!  blessed  be  you! 
Tour  bounty  will  be  the  salvation  of  me  and  of  my 
other  companions  in  shame.  We  repented  at  the  voice 
of  the  son  of  Mary.  His  words  thrilled  our  hearts,  and 
we  expected  forgiveness.  But,  alas!  the  necessity  of 
living  held  us  back  in  evil.  Blessed  be  you,  Magdalen, 
you  who  render  possible  our  return  to  righteousness ! ' ' 

"Listen,  it  is  not  me  you  must  bless,"  answered 
Magdalen,  "but  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

And  Magdalen  mingled  with  the  crowd  to  listen  to 
the  word  of  the  young  master. 

Some  of  his  disciples  having  informed  him  concern- 
ing Magdalen  that  she  had  been  seduced  and  then  de- 
serted by  a  doctor  of  the  law,  the  countenance  of  Jesus 
assumed  a  serious,  severe  and  even  menacing  aspect. 
He  said: 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.       76 

"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  you  are  like  unto  whited  sepulchres,  which  indeed 
appear  beautiful  outward,  but  are  within  full  of  dead 
men's  bones,  and  of  all  uncleanness.  Even  so  you  also 
outwardly  appear  righteous  unto  men,  but  within  you 
are  full  of  hypocrisy  and  iniquity.  Woe  unto  you,  you 
blind  guides!  which  strain  at  a  gnat  and  swallow  a 
camel!"1 

The  familiar  satire  caused  much  mirth  among  the 
audience,  and  Banaias  cried: 

' '  Oh,  how  right  you  are,  our  friend !  How  many  of 
those  gluttons  do  we  know  who  swallow  camels!  But 
such  is  the  rigid  strictness  of  their  conscience  that  they 
digest  camels  like  ostriches  digest  pebbles,  and  they  do 
not  seem  to  mind  it.  All  is  grist  that  comes  to  their 
mill." 

Fresh  outbursts  of  laughter  answered  the  sally  of 
Banaias,  and  Jesus  proceeded : 

"Woe  unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  you  make  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  of  the 
platter,  but  within  they  are  full  of  extortion  and  ex- 
cess. Woe  unto  you  which  bind  heavy  burdens,  and 
grievous  to  be  borne,  and  lay  them  on  men's  shoulders, 
but  yourselves  will  not  move  them  with  one  of  your 
fingers!"2 

This  fresh  familiar  comparison  struck  the  minds  of 
the  hearers  of  the  young  master,  and  several  voices  re- 
sponded : 

1  Matthew  23.24,27,28. 
'Matthew  23.4,26. 


7«  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

"Yes!  Yes!  The  hypocritical  do-nothings  say  t«  th« 
lowly:  'Labor  is  holy — work!  But  we,  we  shall  not 
work!'" 

"Yes;  'you  alone  shall  carry  the  burden  of  labor — 
but  we  will  not  move  it  with  one  of  our  fingers  1*  " 

Jesus  proceeded : 

"Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
you  do  all  your  works  for  to  be  seen  of  men!  You 
make  broad  your  phylacteries  and  enlarge  the  borders 
of  your  garments !  Woe  unto  you  which  say,  Whoso- 
ever shall  swear  by  the  gold  of  the  temple,  he  is  a 
debtor!"1 

"Because,"  interjected  a  voice,  "to  those  wicked 
rich  nothing  is  holy  but  gold!  They  swear  by  their 
gold  as  others  swear  by  their  soul — or  by  their  honor !" 

Jesus  resumed : 

"And,  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar,  it  is  noth- 
ing; but  whosoever  sweareth  by  the  gift  that  is  upon 
it,  he  is  guilty.  Woe  unto  you,  scribes  and  Pharisees, 
hypocrites!  for  you  pay  tithe  of  mint,  and  anise  and 
cummin,  and  have  omitted  the  weightier  matters  of 
the  law,  judgment,  mercy  and  faith.  These  ought  you 
to  have  done,  and  not  leave  the  other  undone!"2 

"By  the  two  thumbs  of  Methuselah!"  cried  Banaias, 
laughing.  "You  say  so  as  if  it  could  be  easily  done! 
All  those  hypocrites  have  in  their  coffers  wherewith  to 
pay  the  tithe,  and  they  pay  it.  But  where  do  you  ex- 

1  Matthew  23.5,16. 
» Matthew   23.18,23. 


THE   YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.  11 

pect  them  to  find  the  coin  of  justice,  of  good  faith  and 
of  mercy  which  you  demand  of  those  whitened  sepul- 
chres, of  those  swallowers  of  camels,  or  those  people 
reeking  with  iniquity?" 

"Alas!  The  young  master  speaks  truly!"  said  an- 
other. "To  him  who  is  moneyless,  justice  is  deaf.  The 
doctors  of  the  law  do  not  say  to  you  in  their  tribunals : 
'What  good  reason  can  you  allege  in  your  behalf?' 
but:  'How  much  money  do  you  promise  me?'!" 

"I  entrusted  some  savings  to  Joas,  one  of  the  chief 
priests,"  put  in  a  poor  old  woman.  "He  told  me  he 
spent  it  in  good  works  for  my  salvation.  What  was  I 
to  do,  lone  poor  woman  that  I  am,  against  so  powerful 
a  seigneur?  I  had  to  submit,  and  beg  for  my  bread, 
which  I  do  not  find  every  day. ' ' 

At  this  complaint  Jesus  cried  with  redoubled  indig- 
nation : 

"0,  woe  unto  you  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites! 
for  you  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a  pretence 
make  long  prayer.  You  serpents,  you  generation  of 
vipers!  how  can  you  escape  the  damnation  of  hell? 
Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise 
men,  and  scribes  for  your  salvation — but,  alas ! ' '  added 
the  son  of  Mary  in  a  tone  of  deep  sadness,  "some  of 
them  you  shall  kill  and  crucify,  and  some  of  them  shall 
you  persecute  from  city  to  city,  that  upon  you  may 
come  all  the  righteous  blood  shed  upon  the  earth,  from 
the  blood  of  the  righteous  Abel,  unto  the  blood  of 


78  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Zacharias,  whom  you  slew  between  the  Temple  and  the 
altar!"1 

"Oh!  Fear  not,  our  friend!  If  those  swallowers  of 
camels  should  want  to  shed  your  blood,"  cried  Ba- 
naias,  striking  the  hilt  of  his  long  and  rusty  cutlass, 
1 '  they  will  first  have  to  shed  ours !  And  we  will  not  run 
before  them,  either!" 

"Yes!  Yes!"  answered  the  crowd  almost  in  chorus. 
"Fear  nothing,  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  We  will  defend 
you  against  your  enemies!" 

"We  shall  die  for  you,  if  necessary!" 

"You  shall  be  our  leader!" 

"Our  King!" 

But  the  son  of  Mary,  as  if  mistrustful  of  these  trans- 
ports, shook  his  head  with  more  and  more  profound 
sadness,  tears  welled  at  his  eyes;  and  he  cried  in  a 
disconsolate  voice: 

"O  Jerusalem!  Jerusalem!  You  that  kill  the  proph- 
ets, and  stone  them  which  are  sent  unto  you!  How 
often  would  I  have  gathered  your  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  gathers  her  chickens  under  her  wing — 
and  you  would  not !  You  would  not ! '  '* 

And  the  accents  of  the  son  of  Mary,  at  first  cutting, 
severe  or  indignant  when  he  referred  to  the  Phari- 
sees, were  stamped  with  such  heartrending  grief  as  he 
pronounced  those  last  words  that  almost  all  those 
present  wept  like  the  young  master  of  Nazareth.  Pres- 

1  Matthew  23.1433.34. 
•Matthew   23.37. 


THE  YOUNG  MAN  OF  NAZARETH.      79 

ently  profound  silence  ensued ;  Jesus  was  seen  with  his 
elbows  leaning  on  the  table  and  weeping  with  his  face 
hidden  in  his  hands. 

Genevieve  could  no  longer  restrain  her  own  tears. 
She  overheard  one  of  the  two  emissaries  say  to  his  com- 
panion in  a  tone  of  triumph: 

"The  Nazarene  has  called  the  doctors  of  the  law  and 
the  chief  priests  'serpents'  and  'generation  of  vipers'! 
This  whole  evening  he  has  done  nothing  but  blaspheme. 
All  that  men  hold  most  sacred  he  has  denounced.  A 
curse  upon  him!" 

"Oh!  You  talk  of  crucifixion,  Jesus  of  Nazareth!" 
replied  the  other.  "We  would  not  have  you  proved  a 
liar,  prophet  of  Beelzebub!" 

Simon,  one  of  the  disciples  of  the  young  master,  see- 
ing him  remain  with  his  head  leaning  upon  his  hands, 
weeping  in  silence,  stooped  over  him  and  said: 

"Master,  the  sun  will  soon  be  rising.  The  peasants 
who  bring  the  vegetables  to  the  market  of  Jerusalem 
go  through  the  Valley  of  Cedron.  They  thirst  for  your 
word.  They  expect  to  meet  you  on  their  way.  Shall 
we  not  go  out  to  them  ? ' ' 

Jesus  rose.  His  sad  and  pensive  countenance  bright- 
ened as  he  embraced  the  little  children,  and  they,  see- 
ing he  was  about  to  depart,  put  their  arms  around  his 
neck.  Jesus  then  clasped  fraternally  all  the  hands  that 
were  offered  to  him  and  left  the  Wild  Ass  tavern,  which 
was  situated  near  that  gate  of  the  city  that  led  to  the 
fields. 


CHAPTER  V. 
THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON. 

Jesus  wended  his  way  towards  the  Valley  of  Cedron 
which  male  and  female  peasants  crossed  on  their  way 
to  Jerusalem,  whither  they  took  provisions  as  well  as 
vegetables  to  market. 

Such  was  the  attraction  of  the  word  of  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth  that  the  greater  part  of  the  people 
who  had  spent  the  night  listening  to  him  decided  to 
accompany  him  now. 

Magdalen,  Oliba  and  Banaias  were  among  these. 

"Joanna,  will  you  also  go  outside  the  city?"  in- 
quired Aurelia  of  Chuza's  wife.  "Day  is  dawning. 
Let  us  return  home.  It  might  be  imprudent  to  prolong 
our  absence." 

"I  shall  not  yet  return  home.  I  shall  follow  Jesus 
to  the  end  of  the  world,"  answered  Joanna  with  exal- 
tation. 

And  stepping  down  from  her  bench  she  drew  from 
her  pocket  a  heavy  purse  of  gold  which  she  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Simon  just  as  he  was  leaving  the  tavern 
close  upon  the  steps  of  the  son  of  Mary. 

"The  young  master  emptied  his  alms  bag  this  even- 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CBDRON.  M 

ing, ' '  Joanna  said  to  Simon  •  ' •  here  is  wherewith  to  re- 
plenish it  and  enable  him  to  alleviate  the  sufferings 
of  the  poor." 

"You,  again!"  said  Simon  with  gratitude  at  seeing 
Joanna.  "Your  charity  never  tires." 

"It  is  your  master's  tenderness  that  is  inexhaustible. 
He  never  tires  of  helping  and  consoling  the  poor, 
the  repentant  and  the  oppressed,"  answered  Chuza's 
wife. 

Genevieve,  who  watched  uneasily  the  emissaries  of 
the  Pharisees,  once  more  overheard  the  one  say  to  the 
other : 

"Follow  and  keep  an  eye  upon  the  Nazarene.  I  shall 
hasten  to  Seigneurs  Caiaphas  and  Baruch,  and  report 
to  them  the  abominable  blasphemies  and  impieties  that 
he  uttered  to-night  in  the  company  of  these  vagabonds 
— of  these  women  of  ill  fame — of  a  rabble.  The  Naza- 
rene must  not  this  time  escape  the  fate  that  awaits 
him." 

The  two  men  parted. 

Aurelia,  seeming  to  have  reflected  for  a  moment,  said 
to  her  friend: 

"Joanna,  I  can  not  express  to  you  the  effect  that 
that  young  man's  word  has  upon  me.  His  word,  at 
times  so  simple,  tender  and  lofty,  other  times  so  caus- 
tic and  threatening,  penetrates  my  heart.  It  is  as  if 
a  new  world  opened  to  my  soul,  because  to  us  'pagans' 
the  word  Charity  is  something  new.  So  far  from 
being  appeased,  my  curiosity  and  interest  have  been 


88  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

whetted.  Whatever  may  happen,  Joanna,  I  am  deter- 
mined to  go  with  you.  Our  husbands  will  be  away  four 
days.  What  will  it  matter,  after  all,  whether  we  re- 
turn home  before  or  after  sunrise?" 

Gtenevieve  was  very  happy  at  hearing  her  mistress 
thus  express  herself.  As  she  thought  of  her  fellow 
slaves  in  Gaul  she  also  was  highly  desirous  to  hear 
more  of  the  words  of  Jesus,  the  friend  and  liberator 
of  bondmen. 

Immediately  after  leaving  the  tavern  with  her  mis- 
tress and  the  charitable  wife  of  Seigneur  Chuza,  Gene- 
vieve  witnessed  an  incident  that  proved  to  her  how 
quickly  the  word  of  Jesus  bore  fruit. 

Magdalen,  the  beautiful  and  repentant  courtesan, 
now  covered  by  a  coarse  woolen  mantle  like  a  pauper, 
followed  the  anxious  crowd  behind  Jesus.  Her  foot 
struck  against  a  stone  in  the  street,  she  stumbled  and 
would  have  fallen  to  the  ground  but  for  the  timely  as- 
sistance of  Joanna  and  Aurelia,  who,  being  accidental- 
ly near,  hastened  to  her  assistance. 

"What,  you,  Joanna,  the  wife  of  Seigneur  Chuza!" 
exclaimed  the  courtesan,  who  saw  through  Joanna's 
disguise  and  blushed  with  shame  as,  no  doubt,  the  im- 
pure gifts  she  had  received  from  Chuza  came  to  her 
mind.  "You,  Joanna,  are  not  afraid  to  lend  me  a  help- 
ing hand,  to  me,  wretched  creature  and  justly  despised 
of  honest  women!" 

"Magdalen,"  Joanna  answered  with  charming  be- 
nevolence, "did  not  our  young  master  say  to  you:  'Go 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  88 

in  peace,'  and  that  'all  your  sins  are  forgiven,  for  you 
loved  much?'  By  what  right  should  I  be  severer  than 
Jesus  of  Nazareth?  Give  me  your  hand,  Magdalen — 
your  hand.  It  is  a  sister  who  asks  you  for  it  in  token* 
of  pardon  and  oblivion  of  the  past." 

Magdalen  took  the  hand  that  Joanna  offered  her,  but 
it  was  to  kiss  it  with  respect,  and  to  cover  it  with  tean 
of  gratitude. 

"Oh!  Joanna,"  the  mistress  of  Gene  vie  ve  said  to  her 
friend  in  a  low  voice.  "The  young  man  of  Nazareth 
would  be  pleased  to  see  you  practice  his  precepts  so 
generously." 

Joanna,  Aurelia  and  Magdalen  soon  passed  through 
the  gate  of  Jerusalem  in  the  wake  of  the  crowd. 

The  sun,  rising  at  that  moment  in  all  its  splendor, 
illuminated  the  distant  fields  of  the  Valley  of  Cedron, 
the  Oriental  aspect  of  which,  so  novel  to  Genevieve, 
struck  her  with  surprise  and  admiration. 

Thanks  to  the  spring  season,  which,  moreover,  was 
early  this  year,  the  plains  that  lay  at  the  gates  of  Jeru- 
salem were  as  verdant  and  florid  as  those  of  Sharon 
which  Genevieve  had  crossed  with  her  mistress  on  her 
journey  from  Jaffa  (her  place  of  disembarkation)  to 
Jerusalem.  White  and  red  roses,  narcissuses,  ane- 
mones, yellow  gilly-flowers  and  odoriferous  immortelles 
perfumed  the  air  and  enlivened  the  fields  with  their 
bright  colors  moist  with  the  dew. 

At  the  roadside  a  clump  of  palm  trees  shaded  the 
dome  of  a  well,  whither  already  large  black  oxen,  cou- 


**  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

pled  by  their  yokes,  and  led  by  drivers  clad  in  skirts 
of  camel  skins,  came  to  drink.  Shepherds  also  were 
seen  leading  to  the  well  their  flocks  of  pendant-eared 
goats  and  long-tailed  sheep;  while  dusky-complexioned 
young  women,  dressed  in  white  and  proceeding,  no 
doubt,  from  a  hamlet  that  could  be  seen  at  a  little  dis- 
tance half  hidden  in  a  wood  of  olive  trees,  drew  water 
from  the  well  and  returned  to  their  homes  carrying 
upon  their  heads,  half  enveloped  with  their  white  veils, 
large  jars  of  the  fresh  water. 

Further  away,  along  the  dusty  road  that  descended 
in  zig-zag  along  the  near  slope  of  a  ridge  of  mountains, 
the  crest  of  which  was  barely  disengaging  itself  from 
the  azure  mists  of  the  morning,  a  long  caravan  was 
seen,  slowly  wending  its  way,  with  the  long  necks  of 
the  camels  towering  above  the  baskets  and  bales  with 
which  the  animals  were  laden. 

All  along  the  road  followed  by  Genevieve  blue 
pigeons,  larks  and  wagtails,  nestled  in  the  copse  of 
nopal  and  turpentine-shrubs,  sang  their  songs,  while 
here  and  there  a  white  stork  with  red  legs  rose  in  the 
air  with  a  captured  snake  in  its  beak. 

Several  herdsmen  and  laborers,  learning  from  the 
people  who  followed  the  Nazarene  that  he  was  going 
to  the  hill  of  Cedron  to  preach  the  glad  tidings,  turned 
their  herds  in  that  direction,  and  increased  the  crowd 
attached  to  the  steps  of  the  son  of  Mary. 

Joanna,  Aurelia  and  Genevieve  thus  drew  near  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  86 

hamlet  that  lay  half  hidden  in  the  wood  of  olive  trees, 
which  had  to  be  crossed  in  order  to  reach  the  hill. 

Suddenly  a  large  number  of  men  and  women  were 
seen  rushing  out  of  the  wood  and  uttering  cries  and 
imprecations. 

At  the  head  of  the  crowd  were  several  doctors  of 
the  law  and  priests.  Two  of  the  latter  dragged  along 
a  handsome  young  woman  in  bare  feet  and  arms,  and 
barely  clad  in  a  tunic.  Shame  and  terror  were  de- 
picted on  her  tear-stained  face.  Her  disheveled  hair 
fell  down  upon  her  shoulders.  From  time  to  time,  and 
praying  for  mercy  between  her  sobs,  she  threw  her- 
self in  her  despair  upon  her  knees  on  the  stones  that 
strewed  the  road,  despite  the  efforts  of  the  two  priests, 
who,  each  holding  her  by  an  arm,  trailed  her  through 
the  dust,  and  forced  her  to  rise  again  to  her  feet  and 
proceed  with  them. 

The  crowd  at  their  heels  showered  hisses,  impreca- 
tions and  insults  upon  the  unfortunate  woman,  who 
was  as  livid  and  terrified  as  a  woman  would  be  who 
was  being  led  to  death. 

The  priests  and  doctors  of  the  law,  who,  no  doubt, 
recognized  the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  made  a  sign 
to  the  villagers,  whose  imprecations  and  ire  were  at 
every  step  redoubling  in  fury,  to  halt  for  a  moment. 
The  angry  mob  whom  they  addressed  and  which  con- 
sisted of  men  and  women,  immediately  picked  up 
heavy  stones  and,  armed  with  them,  broke  out  every 


W  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

little  while  in  coarse  insults  and  threats  of  death 
against  the  weeping  prisoner. 

The  priests  and  the  doctors  of  the  law  dragged  the 
unfortunate  woman  to  the  very  feet  of  Jesus,  whom,  in 
her  terror,  she  immediately  began  to  implore  for 
mercy,  raising  up  to  him  her  face  bathed  in  tears  and 
her  bruised  hands  clotted  with  blood  and  dust. 

Then,  one  of  the  priests,  intending  to  tempt  Jesus 
and  hoping  to  destroy  him  should  his  verdict  be  dif- 
ferent from  theirs,  said  to  him: 

"This  woman  was  taken  in  adultery  in  the  very  act. 
Now,  Moses  in  the  law  commanded  that  such  should  be 
stoned;  but  what  say  you?" 

But  instead  of  answering,  Jesus  stooped  down  and 
wrote  on  the  ground  in  the  dust : 

"He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  cast  a 
first  stone  at  her. ' ' 

And  as  the  astonished  Pharisees  continued  asking 
him,  he  raised  himself,  and  read  unto  them  in  a  loud 
voice  what  he  had  written. 

Loud  applause  broke  from  the  crowd  behind  the  son 
of  Mary  at  these  words  from  his  mouth. 

Banaias  laughed  uproariously  and  cried: 

' '  Well  answered,  our  friend ! — I  am  no  prophet,  but 
if  only  unsullied  hands  may  stone  this  poor  sinner  to 
death,  then,  by  the  heels  of  Gideon!  I  swear  we  shall 
presently  see  all  these  furiously  virtuous  people,  all 
these  frenetically  chaste,  all  these  diabolically  modest 
folks,  beginning  with  the  seigneurs  priests  and  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  87 

seigneurs  doctors  of  the  law,  turn  their  sandals  around 
and  tuck  up  their  robes  in  order  that  they  may  run 
all  the  faster.  Look  at  them!  What  did  I  tell  you! 
Behold  them  dispersing  like  a  herd  of  swine  pursued 
by  a  wolf!" 

"And  swine  they  are!"  said  another.  "As  to  the 
wolf  at  their  heels,  it  is  their  own  conscience." 

In  fact,  after  having  heard  those  words  of  Jesus — 
He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  cast  the  first 
stone  at  this  woman — the  doctors  of  the  law,  the  high 
priests,  as  well  as  those  who  had  first  intended  to  stone 
the  adulteress,  fearing  a  rough  handling  by  the  crowd 
that  followed  the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  left  so 
precipitately  that  when  the  son  of  Mary,  who  had 
stooped  down  again  and  continued  to  write,  again 
looked  up,  the  mob,  only  shortly  before  so  threaten- 
ingly clamorous,  was  far  away,  fleeing  towards  the 
hamlet.  There  was  none  left  behind  but  the  accused 
woman,  still  upon  her  knees,  suppliant  and  weeping  at 
his  feet. 

Smiling  shrewdly  and  with  kindness,  and  pointing  to 
the  empty  space  left  around  her  through  the  dispersion 
of  those  who  wanted  to  stone  her,  Jesus  said  to  the 
woman : 

"Woman,  where  are  those  your  accusers?  Has  no 
man  condemned  you?" 

' '  No  man,  Lord, ' '  she  said  breaking  into  tears. 


88  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Neither  do  I  condemn  you,"  Jesus  said;  "go,  and 
sin  no  more."1 

And  leaving  the  adulteress  on  her  knees  in  the  trans- 
port of  having  been  saved  from  death  and  forgiven, 
the  son  of  Mary  arrived,  followed  by  his  disciples  and 
the  crowd  behind  him,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  where 
already  a  large  number  of  country  people  were  congre- 
gated, impatiently  awaiting  his  arrival,  some  with  their 
provisions  upon  donkeys  or  zebras,  others  in  wagons 
drawn  by  oxen,  and  still  others  in  baskets  that  they 
carried  upon  their  heads.  The  herdsmen  who,  when 
the  Nazarene  went  by,  were  watering  their  flocks  at 
the  fountain,  also  arrived  in  turn.  When  this  large 
assemblage  stood  silent  and  expectant  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  Jesus  of  Nazareth  climbed  up  its  slope  with  the 
view  of  being  better  heard  by  all. 

As  the  rising  snn  bathed  with  its  radiant  beams  the 
son  of  Mary  clad  in  his  white  tunic  and  blue  mantle, 
caused  his  celestial  visage  to  shine  resplendent,  and 
sported  in  his  long  blonde  hair,  his  head  seemod 
crowned  with  an  aureola  of  gold.  Then,  addressing 
himself  to  the  simple  in  heart  whom  he  loved  with  a 
love  equal  to  his  love  for  the  little  children,  Jesus  said 
to  them  in  his  sonorous  and  gentle  voice: 

"Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit :  for  theirs  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven ! 

"Blessed  are  the  meek:  for  they  shall  inherit  th« 
earth. 

'John   8.4-12. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  89 

"Blessed  are  they  that  mourn:  for  they  shall  be  com- 
forted. 

"Blessed  are  the  merciful:  for  they  shall  obtain 
mercy. 

"Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:  for  they  shall  see 
God. 

"Blessed  are  the  peacemakers:  for  they  shall  be 
called  the  children  of  God. 

"Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for  right- 
eousness' sake;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.1 

"But  woe  unto  you  that  are  rich!  for  you  have  re- 
ceived your  consolation. 

' '  Woe  unto  you  that  are  full !  for  ye  shall  hunger. 

"Woe  unto  you  that  laugh!  for  ye  shall  mourn  and 
weep. 

"Woe  unto  you  when  all  men  shall  speak  well  of 
you !  for  so  did  their  fathers  to  the  false  prophets. 2 

"Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself. 

"Take  heed  that  you  do  not  your  alms  before  men, 
to  be  seen  of  them ! 

"Therefore  when  you  do  your  alms,  do  not  sound  a 
trumpet  before  as  the  hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues 
and  in  the  streets,  that  they  may  have  glory  of  men. 
Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  They  have  their  reward.3 

"The  other  day  I  sat  in  the  synagogue  over  against 
the  treasury,  and  beheld  how  the  people  cast  money 
into  the  treasury:  and  many  that  were  rich  cast  in 

»  Matthew  5.2-10.  «  Matthew   19.10  ;    C.l-2. 

•Luke    6.24-26. 


90  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

much.  And  there  came  a  certain  poor  widow,  and  she 
threw  in  two  mites,  which  make  a  farthing.  And  I 
called  unto  me  my  disciples,  and  I  said  unto  them: 

"  'Verily  I  say  unto  you,  That  this  poor  widow  hath 
cast  more  in,  than  all  they  which  have  cast  into  the 
treasury:  for  all  they  did  cast  in  of  their  abundance; 
but  she  of  her  want  did  cast  in  all  that  she  had,  even 
all  her  living. n 

"When  you  do  your  alms,  let  not  your  left  hand 
know  what  your  right  hand  does. 

"And  when  you  pray,  you  shall  not  be  as  the  hypo- 
crites are :  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in  the  syna- 
gogues and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets  that  they  may 
be  seen  of  men.  But  you,  when  you  pray,  enter  into 
your  closet,  and  when  you  have  shut  your  door,  pray 
to  your  Father  which  is,  in  secret. 

"Moreover,  when  you  fast,  be  not  as  the  hypocrites, 
of  a  sad  countenance:  for  they  disfigure  their  faces 
that  they  may  appear  unto  men  to  fast. 

"But  you,  when  you  fast,  anoint  your  head,  and 
wash  your  face,  that  you  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast, 
but  unto  your  Father  which  is,  in  secret.2 

"Above  all  do  not  you  do  like  the  two  men  of  this 
parable : 

"Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray;  the  one 
a  Pharisee,  the  other  a  publican.  The  Pharisee  stood 
and  prayed  thus  with  himself: 

"  'God,  I  thank  you  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are, 

>Mark   12.41-44. 

•  Matthew  6.3,5,6,16,18. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  81 

extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publi- 
can, whom  I  see  yonder.  I  fast  twice  in  the  week,  I 
give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess.' 

"The  publican,  on  the  contrary,  standing  afar  off, 
would  not  lift  up  so  much  as  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but 
smote  upon  his  breast  saying : 

"  'God  be  merciful  unto  me  a  sinner!' 

"I  tell  you,  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justi- 
fied, rather  than  the  other:  for  everyone  that  exalts 
himself  shall  be  abased;  and  he  that  humbles  himself 
shall  be  exalted. l 

"Lay  not  up  for  yourselves  treasures  upon  earth, 
where  moth  and  rust  do  corrupt,  and  where  thieves 
break  through  and  steal:  but  lay  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor  rust  do 
corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break  through  nor 
steal :  for  where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart 
be  also ! a 

"Do  unto  others  as  you  wish  to  be  done  by;  that  is 
the  law  and  the  prophets. 

"Love  your  enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you. 

"And  if  any  man  will  sue  you  at  the  law,  and  take 
away  your  coat,  let  him  have  your  cloak  also. 

' '  Give  unto  him  that  asks. 8 

"He  that  has  two  coats,  let  him  impart  to  him  that 
has  none,  and  he  that  has  meat  let  him  do  likewise.* 

"When  the  day  of  judgment  shall  have  come,  the 
Lord  shall  say  unto  them  on  the  left  hand : 

»Luke  18.10-14.  '  Matthew  5.40,42,44. 

•Matthew  6.19-21.  «  Luke  3.11. 


W  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"  'Depart  from  me,  you  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire, 
prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels. 

"  'For  I  was  an  hungered  and  you  gave  me  no 
meat! 

"  'I  was  thirsty  and  you  gave  me  no  drink! 

"  '  I  was  a  stranger,  and  you  took  me  not  in ! 

"  'I  was  naked,  and  you  clothed  me  not! 

"  'I  was  sick  and  in  prison,  and  you  visited  me 
not!' 

' '  Then  shall  the  wicked  make  answer  to  the  Lord : 

"  'Lord,  when  saw  we  you  an  hungered,  or  athirst, 
or  a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did 
not  minister  unto  you?' 

* '  Then  shall  the  Lord  answer  them,  saying : 

"  'Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  you  did  it 
not  to  one  of  the  least  of  these,  you  did  it  not  unto 
me.'"1 

To  the  great  regret  of  the  assembled  multitude  that 
listened  moved  and  deeply  affected  by  the  divine  pre- 
cepts of  the  son  of  Mary,  precepts  that  the  poorest 
in  spirit  could  understand,  the  discourse  was  suddenly 
interrupted  in  consequence  of  a  violent  tumult. 

It  happened  in  this  way :  A  troop  of  mounted  men, 
coming  down  from  the  mountain  and  riding  in  haste  to 
Jerusalem,  found  its  way  blocked  by  the  large  gather- 
ing of  people  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  the 
young  master  of  Nazareth  was  preaching. 

In  their  impatience,  the  riders  brutally  ordered  the 

1Mattb«w  25.41-46. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  W 

crowd  to  disperse  and  open  a  passage  to  Seigneur 
Chuza,  the  intendant  of  the  house  of  Prince  Herod,  and 
Seigneur  Gremion,  the  Roman  Tribune  of  the  Treasury. 

At  sight  of  the  soldiers  of  the  escort,  Aurelia,  the 
wife  of  Seigneur  Gremion,  grew  pale  and  said  to 
Joanna : 

' '  Our  husbands !  Returned  so  soon !  They  must  have 
turned  back.  They  will  find  us  absent  from  home — 
they  will  learn  that  we  are  away  since  last  evening — 
we  are  lost!" 

"Have  we  anything  to  reproach  ourselves  with? 
Why  should  we  feel  alarmed?"  asked  Joanna.  "Have 
we  not  been  listening  to  teachings  that  render  good 
hearts  still  better?" 

"Dear  mistress,"  said  Genevieve  to  Aurelia,  "I  be- 
lieve that  Seigneur  Gremion  has  recognized  us  from  his 
horse.  I  see  him  whispering  to  Seigneur  Chuza,  and 
pointing  in  this  direction." 

"Oh,  I  tremble!"  exclaimed  Aurelia.  ""What  are 
we  to  do  ?  What  will  come  of  this  ?  Oh,  a  curse  upon 
my  curiosity ! ' ' 

"On  the  contrary,  blessings  upon  it!"  answered 
Joanna.  "You  will  carry  home  treasures  in  your  heart. 
Come,  let  us  boldly  go  to  our  husbands.  Only  the 
wicked  hide  and  drop  their  heads.  Come,  Aurelia, 
come — and  let  us  walk  with  heads  erect!" 

At  that  moment,  Magdalen  the  penitent  approached 
the  two  women,  and  said  to  Joanna  with  tears  in  her 
eyes: 


94  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Adieu;  you  who  gave  me  your  hand  when  I  was 
despised,  your  memory  will  ever  be  present  to  Mag- 
dalen in  her  seclusion — " 

"What  seclusion  do  you  mean?"  asked  Joanna,  sur- 
prised. "Where  do  you  intend  going,  beautiful 
Magdalen?" 

"Into  the  desert!"  answered  the  penitent,  extend- 
ing both  her  arms  towards  the  crags  of  the  arid  moun- 
tains, on  the  other  side  of  which  spread  the  desolate 
solitudes  of  the  Dead  Sea.  "I  am  going  to  the  desert 
to  weep  over  my  sins,  but  carrying  in  my  heart  a  treas- 
ure of  hope!  Blessed  be  the  son  of  Mary,  to  whom 
I  owe  that  treasure ! ' ' 

And  the  crowd  parting  respectfully  before  the  dis- 
tinguished penitent,  she  departed  in  the  direction  of 
the  arid  mountains  that  she  had  pointed  to. 

Hardly  had  Magdalen  disappeared  when  Joanna, 
leading  her  friend  almost  against  her  will,  moved  to- 
wards the  riders  through  the  crowd  that  already  began 
to  give  signs  of  irritation  at  the  uncivil  language  of 
the  men  of  the  escort. 

Herod,  the  Prince  of  Judea,  who  would  have  been 
driven  from  the  throne  but  for  the  protection  of  the 
Roman  arms,  was  generally  abhorred  He  was  cruel 
and  dissolute,  and  crushed  the  Israelitish  people  with 
the  weight  of  his  taxes.  Consequently,  as  soon  as  it 
was  known  that  one  of  the  horsemen  was  Seigneur 
Chuza,  the  intendant  of  the  execrated  Prince,  the 
hatred  entertained  for  the  master  was  visited  upon  his 


THE  VALLEY  OF  C ED  RON.  05 

intendant  as  well  as  upon  the  latter 's  companion, 
Seigneur  Gremion,  who,  in  the  name  of  the  Roman  fisc, 
gleaned  where  Herod  had  reaped. 

While  Joanna,  Aurelia  and  Genevieve  the  slave  were 
with  difficulty  crossing  the  dense  crowd  to  reach  the 
riders,  hooting  broke  out  from  all  parts  against  Seig- 
neurs Chuza  and  Gremion,  and  these  were  forced  to 
hear,  while  they  shook  with  rage,  such  invectives  as 
these — weak  echoes  of  the  young  master's  anathemas 
against  the  wicked: 

"Woe  unto  you,  intendant  of  Herod!  who  crush  us 
with  taxes  and  devour  the  houses  of  widows  and 
orphans. ' ' 

"Woe  unto  you,  Roman!  who  come  to  share  our 
spoils." 

Banaias,  brandishing  in  one  hand  his  cutlass  with  a 
threatening  and  enraged  mien,  drew  near  the  two 
seigneurs  and  shaking  his  other  fist  at  them  bellowed: 

' '  The  fox  is  cowardly  and  cruel,  and  he  called  to  his 
aid  his  friend  the  wolf,  whose  teeth  are  longer  and 
have  more  strength.  The  cruel  and  cowardly  fox  is 
your  master  Herod,  Seigneur  Chuza!  The  ferocious 
wolf  is  Tiberius,  the  master  of  you,  Roman,  who  have 
come  to  help  the  fox  with  his  prey ! ' ' 

And  as  Seigneur  Chuza,  pale  with  rage,  seemed  to 
be  about  to  draw  his  sword  in  order  to  strike  Banaias, 
the  latter  raised  his  cutlass  and  cried : 

"By  the  bowels  of  Goliath!     I'll  slice  you  in  two 


W  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

like  a  watermelon  if  you  dare  set  hand  to  your 
sword!" 

Having  for  their  only  escort  five  or  six  outriders, 
the  two  seigneurs  restrained  their  anger  and  sought  to 
disengage  themselves  from  the  crowd  which  was  wax- 
ing more  and  more  threatening. 

"Yea,  woe  unto  you,  ye  men  of  the  fisc  of  Herod  and 
Tiberius!  Woe  unto  you!  We  are  hungry  and  you 
tear  away  from  our  lips  with  your  taxes  the  bread 
moistened  in  our  sweat." 

"Woe  unto  you!  you  overwhelm  defenceless  people 
with  privations." 

"Woe  unto  you!  the  day  of  judgment  is  at  hand." 

"Yes,  yes!  soon  there  will  be  for  you,  the  wicked 
and  oppressors,  weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. ' ' 

"Then  the  first  will  be  the  last— and  the  last  the 
first—" 

More  and  more  frightened,  Chuza  and  Gremion  con- 
sulted each  other  with  their  eyes,  unable  to  see  a  way 
of  escaping  from  the  threatening  mob.  The  more 
angered  among  the  crowd  already  began  to  pick  up 
stones,  and  armed  with  an  enormous  rock,  Banaias 
cried  out: 

"This  morning  our  master,  speaking  of  that  poor 
woman  whom  the  Pharisaic  hypocrites  meant  to  stone, 
said:  He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  cast 
the  first  stone  at  her.  And  I,  my  friends  say  to  you : 
Let  him  who  has  been  flayed  by  the  fisc  throw  the  first 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  ft 

stone  at  the  flayers ! — and  let  that  stone  be  followed  by 
a  good  many  others — " 

"Yes! — Yes!"  came  from  a  hundred  throats  in  the 
crowd.  "Let  them  be  buried  under  a  heap  of 
stones! — " 

"Stone  them!—" 

"To  the  stones!— To  the  stones!—" 

"Our  husbands  are  in  great  danger;  that  is  an  addi- 
tional reason  to  draw  near  them,"  said  Joanna  to 
Aurelia,  redoubling  her  efforts  to  reach  the  men  on 
horseback. 

Suddenly  the  sweet  and  vibrating  voice  of  the  Naza- 
rene  was  heard  above  the  tumult,  uttering  these 
words: 

"Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  If  these  men  have  sinned, 
may  they  not  repent  before  the  day  o£  judgment?  Let 
them  sin  no  more  and  go  in  peace!" 

At  these  words  of  the  son  of  Mary  the  popular  tem- 
pest subsided  as  if  by  enchantment.  The  clamor  was 
stilled.  The  crowd  became  silent,  and,  by  a  spontane- 
ous movement  parted  to  open  a  passage  to  the  steward 
of  Herod,  Seigneur  Gremion,  and  their  escort.  Joanna 
and  Aurelia  then  succeeded  in  joining  their  husbands. 

At  the  sight  of  his  wife,  Seigneur  Gremion  said  to 
Chuza  angrily:  "Indeed,  it  is  my  wife — and  in  man's 
clothes—" 

"And  mine  accompanies  her!"  cried  Chuza,  no  less 
irritated.  "And,  like  yours,  in  man's  disguise. — It  is 
the  abomination  of  desolation!" 


98  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"And  the  feast  is  complete,"  added  Gremion;  "there 
is  ray  wife's  slave — " 

Perfectly  composed  and  sweet,  Joanna  said  to  her 
husband : 

"Seigneur,  make  room  for  me;  I  shall  mount  on  the 
crupper  of  your  horse  and  ride  home  with  you." 

"Yes,"  answered  Chuza,  grinding  his  teeth  with 
rage;  "you  shall  ride  home  with  me — but,  by  the 
pillars  of  the  Temple !  you  never  again  shall  leave  the 
house  without  me." 

Joanna  made  no  answer,  but  reached  up  her  hand 
to  her  husband  in  order  that  he  help  her  to  mount  on 
the  crupper.  With  a  light  bound  she  sat  herself  upon 
the  horse. 

"You  may  also  jump  on  the  crupper  of  my  horse," 
said  Gremion  angrily  to  his  wife.  "Your  slave  Gene- 
vieve — and,  by  Jupiter!  she  will  pay  dearly  for  her 
complicity  in  this  indignity — your  slave  Genevieve  can 
mount  on  the  crupper  behind  one  of  the  men  of  my 
escort." 

It  was  done  so,  and  the  troupe  pursued  its  route  to 
Jerusalem. 

The  rider  who  carried  Genevieve  on  the  crupper 
of  his  horse  rode  close  behind  the  Seigneurs  Gremion 
and  Chuza.  She  could  hear  the  two  scolding  their 
wives  angrily. 

"No,  by  Hercules!"  cried  the  Roman.  "To  find  my 
wife  in  man's  disguise  in  the  midst  of  that  pack  of  tat- 
tered beggars,  vagabonds  and  seditious  villains! — It 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  99 

is  hard  to  believe. — No,  by  Hercules !    I  must  come  all 
the  way  to  Judea  to  see  such  an  enormity!" 

"And  I,  who  am  of  Judea,  seigneur,"  echoed  Chuza, 
"I  am  no  more  accustomed  to  such  enormities  than 
yourself.  I  was  well  aware  that  mendicants,  thieves, 
and  courtesans  of  the  lowest  stamp  followed  the  ac- 
cursed Nazarene.  But  may  the  wrath  of  the  Lord 
strike  me  down  this  instant,  if  I  ever  heard  it  said 
that  self-respecting  women  stooped  to  the  indignity 
of  mingling  among  the  dregs  of  the  populace  that  the 
fellow  leads  at  his  heels  all  over  the  country — a  vile 
populace  that  would  have  stoned  us  to  death  a  minute 
ago  but  for  our  resolute  bearing!"  added  Seigneur 
Chuza  haughtily. 

"Yes,  fortunately,  we  were  able  to  cow  the  miscre- 
ants with  our  courage,"  grunted  Seigneur  Gremion. 
' '  Otherwise,  it  would  have  been  done  for  us. — Ah !  You 
were  right — this  is  a  fresh  proof  of  the  hatred  and  re- 
sentment kindled  by  the  incendiary  sermons  of  that 
Nazarene.  All  he  does  is  to  excite  the  poor  against 
the  rich!" 

' '  Did  not  the  young  master,  on  the  contrary,  appease 
the  fury  of  the  crowd?"  suggested  Joanna  in  a  sweet 
and  firm  voice.  "Did  he  not  say:  'Let  these  men  go, 
and  let  them  sin  no  more'?" 

"If  that  is  not  audacity!"  cried  Chuza,  addressing 
Gremion.  "Did  you  hear  what  my  wife  said?  Would 
one  not  think  that  a  seigneur  can  no  longer  travel  the 
roads  in  peace  without  the  consent  of  the  Nazarene—- 


100  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

of  that  son  of  Beelzebub!  And  that  if  we  escaped  the 
fury  of  the  villains,  it  was  thanks  to  the  promise  he 
made  for  us  that  we  would  sin  no  more!— By  the 
pillars  of  the  holy  Temple! — That  is  impudence  for 
you!" 

"The  young  master  of  Nazareth,"  replied  Joanna, 
' '  cannot  answer  for  what  is  said  or  done  in  his  name. — 
The  crowd  was  unjustly  enraged  at  you — he  appeased 
it  with  a  word — what  more  could  he  do  ? " 

"Worse  still!"  again  cried  Seigneur  Chuza.  "And 
by  what  right  does  that  Nazarene  calm  or  arouse  the 
populace  at  his  pleasure? — Do  you  know  why  we  are 
returning  to  Jerusalem  so  soon  ? — It  is  because  we  have 
been  assured  that,  in  consequence  of  the  abominable 
sermons  of  that  fellow,  the  mountain  people  of  Judea 
and  the  peasants  of  Sharon  would  stone  us  to  death 
if  we  presented  ourselves  to  collect  the  taxes — " 

"The  young  master  said:  'Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  which  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the  things 
that  are  God's,'  '*  replied  Joanna.  "Can  he  be 
blamed  if  the  people,  crushed  down  by  the  fisc,  are  not 
in  a  condition  to  pay  excessive  imposts?" 

"By  Hercules!  They  will  have  to  pay,  all  the  same!" 
cried  Seigneur  Gremion.  "We  return  to  Jerusalem  to 
fetch  an  escort  of  sufficient  soldiers  to  crush  the  re- 
bellion. Woe  to  them  who  resist  us — we  shall  exter- 
minate every  one  of  them!" 

"And,  above  all,  woe  to  the  Nazarene!"  put  in  Seig- 

*  Matthew  23.91. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CEDRON.  101 

neur  Chuza.  "He  alone  is  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble. 
1  mean  to  notify  King  Herod,  and  the  Seigneurs  Pon- 
tius Pilate  and  Caiaphas  of  the  increasing  audacity  of 
the  vagabond,  and  demand  his  execution." 

"Do  him  to  death,"  replied  Joanna,  "he  will  pardon 
you,  and  pray  to  God  to  pardon  you!" 

In  this  way  Joanna,  Aurelia  and  Genevieve  were 
carried  back  to  Jerusalem  on  the  crupper  of  their  hus- 
bands' steeds  and  escorted  by  the  soldiers. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
GENEVIEVE 'S  MARTYRDOM. 

The  instant  Genevieve  and  her  mistress  arrived  at 
the  residence  of  Seigneur  Gremion,  he  ordered  his  wife 
to  her  room. 

Aurelia  lowered  her  head  with  a  sigh,  and  obeyed, 
casting  a  sad  look  of  adieu  to  her  slave. 

Gremion  then  seized  Genevieve  by  the  arm  and 
dragged  her  into  a  lower  apartment,  a  sort  of  cellar, 
in  which  leather  bottles  filled  with  oil  and  wine,  besides 
other  provisions,  were  stored.  The  darksome  place 
was  reached  by  a  short  and  steep  staircase.  Gene- 
vieve's  master  pushed  her  down  so  rudely  that  she  fell 
over  and  tumbled  down  from  step  to  step  to  the  bot- 
tom, while  Gremion  bolted  the  door  from  the  out- 
side. 

The  young  woman  rose  bruised  at  every  joint,  sat 
down  upon  the  ground,  and  wept  bitterly.  Presently 
her  tears  became  almost  comforting,  as  she  thought 
that  she  suffered  for  having  gone  to  hear  the  word  of 
the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  who  was  so  kind  to 
the  poor  and  the  slaves,  so  merciful  towards  the  peni- 
tent, so  severe  with  the  rich  and  wicked. 


GENEVIEVE'S  MARTYRDOM.  103 

Brought  up  in  the  druid  faith  which  her  mother  had 
transmitted  to  her,  so  to  say,  with  life,  Genevieve  re- 
posed no  less  trust  in  the  words  of  the  son  of  Mary. 
Although  he  professed  another  religion  than  that  of 
the  druids,  Jesus  believed  with  the  druids,  it  was  said, 
that  in  departing  from  the  world,  life  continued  be- 
yond in  body  and  soul,  seeing  that,  according  to  his 
faith,  he  spoke  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Finally, 
despite  the  loftiness  of  the  druid  faith,  which  freed 
man  of  the  fear  of  death  by  teaching  him  that  he  never 
died,  Genevieve  missed  in  the  precepts  of  the  Gallic 
religion  that  feeling  of  brotherhood  and  mercifulness 
that  stamped  the  words  of  the  young  man  of  Nazareth. 

The  slave  was  indulging  in  these  reflections  when 
she  saw  the  door  of  the  cellar  in  which  she  was  locked 
up  swing  open.  Gremion,  her  master,  was  coming 
back,  followed  by  two  other  men.  One  of  these  held  a 
bundle  of  cords  in  his  hand,  the  other  a  couple  of 
scourges  of  many  thongs. 

Genevieve  had  never  seen  these  men  before.  They 
were  oddly  clad. 

Seigneur  Gremion  descended  the  first  few  stairs  and 
said  to  Genevieve: 

"Undress  yourself! — " 

The  slave  looked  up  at  her  master  with  as  much  sur- 
prise as  terror,  hardly  trusting  her  ears.  He  re- 
peated : 

"Undress  yourself — if  you  do  not,  these  men,  they 
are  the  assistants  of  the  executioner  of  the  city,  will 


104  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

themselves  strip  off  your  clothes — in  order  to  give  you 
a  whipping." 

That  degrading  punishment,  so  often  inflicted  upon 
female  slaves,  Genevieve  had  never  before  under- 
gone, thanks  to  the  goodness  of  the  gods  and  of  her 
mistresses.  Overcome  with  terror,  Genevieve  could 
now  only  join  her  hands,  stretch  them  out  to  her  mas- 
ter, and  fall  upon  her  knees  imploring  mercy. 

But  Seigneur  Gremion,  standing  aside  to  make  room 
for  the  two  men  to  pass  who  had  remained  at  the  head 
of  the  staircase,  said  to  them : 

"Strip  her  naked — and  whip  her  to  the  quick  that 
the  blood  may  run. — She  shall  not  forget  that  she 
assisted  at  the  preaching  of  the  accursed  Nazarene." 

Genevieve  was  then  hardly  twenty-three  years  old, 
and  often  had  Fergan,  her  husband,  told  her  that  she 
was  beautiful.  Despite  her  tears,  her  prayers  and  her 
impotent  resistance,  her  clothing  was  removed  from 
her,  she  was  tied  fast  to  a  post  in  the  cellar,  and  imme- 
diately her  body  was  cut  with  the  strokes  of  the  whip. 

Genevieve  had  at  first  hoped  that  shame  and  horror 
would  deprive  her  of  consciousness.  It  happened 
otherwise.  But  she  forget  the  pain  of  the  strokes  in 
the  shame  that  overpowered  her  at  finding  herself  a 
prey  to  the  lascivious  looks  of  the  executioner's  men, 
and  at  the  jokes  that  they  exchanged  as  they  struck. 

Standing  by  with  his  arms  crossed,  Seigneur  Gre- 
mion remarked,  laughing  and  jeering : : 

"Did  the  Nazarene,  the  famous  Messiah  who  dabbles 


GENEVIEVE'S  MARTYRDOM.  105 

in  soothsaying,  foretell  you  what  is  now  happening  to 
you,  Genevieve? — Do  you  still  think  he  was  right  to 
proclaim  that  the  slave  is  the  equal  of  his  master? — 
By  Jupiter !  I  begin  to  feel  sorry  I  did  not  have  you 
whipped  in  the  center  of  the  public  square — it  would 
have  been  a  good  lesson  taught  over  your  shoulders  to 
the  bandits  who  place  reliance  upon  the  insolences  of 
their  friend  Jesus!" 

When  the  executioner's  assistants  were  tired  of 
striking  one  of  them  was  ordered  by  Gremion  to  untie 
Genevieve,  and  her  master  then  said  to  her  : 

' '  You  shall  not  leave  this  cellar  for  eight  days.  Dur- 
ing this  time  my  wife  shall  have  to  help  herself  with- 
out you.  That  shall  be  her  punishment. ' ' 

And  Gremion,  together  with  the  executioner's 
assistants,  went  out  of  the  cellar,  leaving  Genevieve 
alone.  Not,  then,  was  it  a  remembrance  of  the  tender 
and  merciful  utterances  of  the  son  of  Mary  that  re- 
curred to  the  mind  of  the  lacerated  slave,  as  hap- 
pened before  her  punishment.  It  was  the  remem- 
brance of  the  words  of  anathema,  which  likewise  he 
had  uttered  that  very  morning  against  the  wicked  and 
the  oppressors.  During  the  long  hours  that  she  spent 
alone  with  the  recollection  of  her  shame,  she  swore  to 
herself  that,  if  ever  it  should  be  the  pleasure  of  the 
gods  that  she  should  be  a  mother,  and  that  she  could 
keep  her  child  near  her,  it  would  be  her  endeavor  to 
inspire  him  at  once  with  love  for  the  weak  and  the 
oppressed,  and  horror  for  slavery,  and  hatred  for  the 


106  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

rich  and  the  oppressors,  instead  of  allowing  such  proud 
sentiments  to  degenerate  in  his  soul  as  they  had  cooled 
down  in  the  soul  of  her  husband  Fergan,  whom  she 
so  dearly  loved,  despite  the  weakness  of  his  nature. 

Genevieve  had  been  locked  up  three  days  in  the 
cellar  of  the  house,  whither,  every  morning,  her  mas- 
ter brought  her  some  food,  when  one  evening,  at  a 
rather  advanced  hour,  the  door  of  the  slave's  prison 
was  opened.  She  saw  Aurelia,  her  mistress,  appear  at 
the  opening,  holding  a  lamp  in  one  hand  and  a  bundle 
in  the  other. 

Aurelia  descended  the  stairs  and  placed  the  bundle 
on  the  floor. 

"Poor  woman!  You  have  suffered  a  good  deal  on 
my  account,"  said  Aurelia,  whose  eyes  grew  dim  with 
tears  as  she  approached  Genevieve.  "My  poor,  dear 
Genevieve ! ' ' 

Despite  her  mistress's  kindness,  Genevieve  could  not 
help  answering  her  with  bitterness: 

"If  you  had  a  daughter,  and  if  men  stripped  her 
naked  to  whip  her  at  her  master's  command,  what 
would  you  think  of  slavery?" 

"Genevieve,  you  blame  me! — " 

"I  am  not  blaming  you.  I  am  blaming  slavery.  You 
are  kind  to  me.  And  yet,  see  how  I  have  been 
treated!—" 

"Verily  have  I  these  three  days  begged  pardon  for 
you  with  my  husband,"  replied  Aurelia  in  a  voice  re- 
plete with  compassion.  "He  denied  my  prayers.  I 


GEN  EV I  EVE'S  MARTYRDOM.  107 

implored  him  to  allow  me  to  visit  you;  he  remained 
obdurate.  He  carries  with  him  the  key  of  your  prison, 
and  places  it  under  his  pillow  at  night.  This  is  the 
first  night  that  I  succeeded  in  capturing  it  when  he  fell 
asleep. — And  here  I  have  come." 

"I  have  suffered  greatly — more  with  shame  than 
with  pain,"  said  Genevieve,  vanquished  by  the  sweet- 
ness of  her  mistress,  "but  your  words  console  me." 

"Listen,  Genevieve,  I  am  not  here  simply  to  console 
you.  You  can  flee  from  this  house,  and  render  a  great 
service  to  the  young  man  of  Nazareth — perhaps  even 
save  his  life ! ' ' 

"What  say  you,  dear  mistress!"  cried  Genevieve, 
thinking  less  of  her  own  freedom  than  of  the  service 
that  she  might  be  able  to  render  to  the  son  of  Mary. 
"0,  speak!  I  am  ready  to  give  you  my  life,  if  neces- 
sary, for  him  who  says  that  one  day  the  chains  of  the 
slaves  shall  be  broken." 

"Since  that  day  when  we  spent  the  night  out  of  the 
house  to  hear  the  sermons  of  Jesus,  Joanna  and  I  did 
not  see  each  other.  Seigneur  Chuza  forbade  her  to 
leave  her  premises.  But,  to-day,  yielding  finally  to 
her  entreaties,  he  brought  her  here — and  while  he  con- 
versed with  my  husband  she  informed  me  that  the 
young  master  of  Nazareth  had  been  betrayed,  and  that 
he  was  to  be  arrested  this  very  night,  and  put  to 
death." 

' '  Betrayed !— He !— By  whom  I " . 

"By  one  of  his  own  disciples — " 

"0,  the  infamous  wretch! — " 


108  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Already  triumphing  over  the  death  of  the  poor 
Nazarene,  Seigneur  Chuza  had  revealed  the  whole  plot 
to  Joanna,  in  order  to  derive  a  wicked  joy  from  the 
grief  that  such  sad  news  would  cause  her.  This  is 
what  happened :  The  Pharisees,  the  doctors  of  the  law, 
the  Senators  and  the  chief  priests — all  of  them  being 
exasperated  by  the  precepts  and  prophecies  of  the 
young  man,  gathered  at  the  residence  of  the  High 
Priest  Caiaphas,  and  there  plotted  to  capture  the 
Nazarene  by  surprise.  "Fearing  an  uproar  among  the 
people  in  case  he  was  arrested  yesterday,  a  holyday  in 
Jerusalem,  they  postponed  the  execution  of  their  evil 
designs  for  to-night,"  concluded  Aurelia. 

"  What  ?     To-night  ?— This  very  night  T— ' ' 

"Yes,  one  of  his  own  disciples,  one  named  Judas,  is 
to  deliver  him." 

"One  of  those  who,  a  few  nights  ago,  accompanied 
him  to  the  Wild  Ass  tavern?" 

"The  very  one  whose  somber  and  sullen  face  called 
your  attention  that  night. — Well,  Judas  went  to  the 
chief  priests  and  the  doctors  of  the  law,  and  he  said  to 
them:  'Give  me  money,  and  I  shall  deliver  the 
Nazarene  to  you  '- 

"The  wretch!—" 

"The  Pharisees  covenanted  with  him  for  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  and  at  this  very  hour,  may  be,  the  poor 
young  man  who  mistrusts  nobody,  may  have  fallen  a 
victim  to  treason." 


GENEVIEVE'S  MARTYRDOM.  109 

"Alas,  if  so  it  is,  what  service  could  I  render  to 
him?" 

"Listen — these  were  Joanna's  words  to  me  this 
evening:  'It  was  on  our  way  to  you,  dear  Aurelia, 
that  my  husband  informed  me  with  cruel  delight  of 
the  doom  that  threatens  Jesus.  Under  surveillance  as 
I  am,  I  have  no  means  of  warning  him.  My  servants 
stand  in  such  dread  of  Seigneur  Chuza,  that  not  all 
the  entreaties  or  money  bribes  that  I  might  offer  them 
could  induce  any  to  leave  the  house  on  such  an  errand 
as  taking  a  word  of  warning  to  the  son  of  Mary.  A 
thought  struck  me.  Your  slave  Genevieve  seems  to 
be  endowed  with  as  much  courage  as  devotedness. 
Might  she  not  be  of  service  to  us  at  this  emergency?' 
I  informed  Joanna  of  the  cruel  vengeance  that  my  hus- 
band had  taken  upon  you.  But  so  far  from  giving  up 
her  project,  Joanna  inquired  from  me  where  Gremion 
kept  the  key  of  your  prison.  'Under  his  pillow  at 
night,'  I  answered  her.  'Try  to  get  it  while  he  is 
asleep,'  suggested  Joanna;  'if  you  succeed  in  securing 
it,  set  Genevieve  free;  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
helping  her  out  of  the  house ;  let  her  go  straight  to  the 
Wild  Ass  tavern;  she  will  probably  be  able  to  meet 
someone  there  who  can  tell  her  where  the  young  mas- 
ter is.'  " 

"Oh,  dear  mistress,"  cried  Genevieve,  "I  shall  prove 
myself  worthy  of  the  confidence  that  you  repose  in 
me.  Let  us  open  the  house-door  quickly." 

"One  moment.     Before  proceeding  any  further  with 


110  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

our  project,  we  must  guard  against  my  husband's 
anger.  It  is  not  for  my  sake  that  I  fear  the  same — but 
for  your  sake.  You  may  judge,  poor  Genevieve,  .from 
the  atrocious  treatment  that  you  received,  what  you 
would  have  to  expect  when  you  return  home — " 

"Let  us  not  think  of  me!" 

"On  the  contrary,  we  did  think  of  you!  Listen  fur- 
ther. My  friend's  nurse  lives  near  the  Judicial  Gate. 
She  sells  woolen  goods  and  is  called  Veronica,  wife  of 
Samuel. — Can  you  remember  those  names  ? ' ' 

"Yes; — yes. — Veronica,  the  wife  of  Samuel,  mer- 
chant of  woolen  goods  near  the  Judicial  Gate. — But, 
dear  mistress,  let  us  make  haste;  time  passes;  every 
minute  lost  may  be  fatal  to  the  young  master. — Oh,  I 
entreat  you,  let  us  hasten  to  open  the  street-door." 

"No,  not  before  I  shall  have  at  least  informed  you 
where  you  can  find  a  safe  refuge.  Under  no  circum- 
stances could  you  come  back  to  this  house.  I  shudder 
at  the  thought  of  the  punishment  that  my  husband 
would  inflict  upon  you." 

"What,  leave  you!  Leave  you  forever,  my  dear 
mistress ! ' ' 

"Would  you  prefer  to  undergo  some  infamous  pun- 
ishment, and  still  worse  torture,  perhaps?" 

"I  would  prefer  death  to  such  disgrace!" 

*'My  husband  would  not  kill  you.  A  slave  repre- 
sents a  sum  of  money. — So,  you  see,  there  is  no  help 
for  it,  we  must  separate.  It  grieves  me  greatly — I 
may  never  again  find  a  slave  in  whom  I  can  trust  like 


GENEVIEVE'S  MARTYRDOM.  Ill 

you — but  after  I  heard  the  words  of  that  young  man, 
I  share  the  enthusiasm  that  he  inspires  in  Joanna.  If 
you  agree  to  save  him — " 

"Do  you  doubt  that,  dear  mistress?" 

"No;  I  know  your  devotedness  and  courage. — This, 
then,  is  what  you  must  do :  If  you  succeed  in  finding 
the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  you  shall  warn  him 
that  he  has  been  betrayed  by  Judas,  one  of  his  disciples, 
and  that  there  is  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  flee  from 
Jerusalem  in  order  to  escape  the  Pharisees,  who  have 
sworn  his  death!  Joanna  is  of  the  opinion  that  by 
withdrawing  to  Galilee,  his  native  country,  the  son  of 
Mary  will  be  safe,  because  his  enemies  would  not  dare 
to  pursue  him  so  far  away." 

"But,  dear  mistress,  even  here,  in  Jerusalem,  all  he 
would  have  to  do  would  be  to  call  the  people  to  his 
defence.  His  disciples,  who  worship  him,  will  place 
themselves  at  the  head  of  the  revolt,  and  not  all  the 
Pharisees  combined  would  be  strong  enough  to  effect 
his  arrest,  even  with  the  help  of  the  militiamen." 

"Joanna  also  thought  of  that.  But,  in  order  for 
him  to  arouse  the  people  in  his  behalf  it  is  necessary 
that  he,  or  his  disciples,  be  made  aware  of  the  danger 
that  threatens  them." 

"Therefore,  dear  mistress,  we  have  not  a  minute  to 
lose." 

"Once  more,  poor  Genevieve,  you  are  forgetting  the 
risks  that  you  run.  As  soon  as  you  shall  have  warned 
the  young  master  or  any  of  his  disciples,  go  to  the 


118  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

house  of  Veronica,  the  wife  of  Samuel.  You  will  tell 
her  that  you  come  from  Joanna,  and,  as  a  proof,  you 
will  give  her  this  ring  which  my  friend  took  from  her 
finger,  and  which  her  nurse  will  recognize.  You  will 
request  Veronica  to  conceal  you  in  her  house,  and  to 
repair  later  to  Joanna,  who  will  inform  her  of  the  fur- 
ther plans  that  we  shall  have  matured  for  your  safety. 
Veronica,  my  friend  said  to  me,  is  a  good  and  accom- 
modating woman.  She,  as  well  as  her  husband,  feel 
very  grateful  towards  the  young  man  of  Nazareth,  be- 
cause he  healed  one  of  their  children.  You  will  be  in 
perfect  safety  with  those  people,  until  Joanna  and  I 
shall  have  arrived  at  some  proper  plan  for  you. — That's 
not  yet  all.  You  must  go  in  man's  disguise.  Now  get 
ready  quick  to  run  to  the  Wild  Ass  tavern." 
"Dear,  dear  mistress — you  think  of  everything!" 
"Get  ready  quick— I  shall  go  out  and  unlock  the 
street  door." 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  GARDEN  OP  OLIVES. 

Aurelia  left  the  cellar  and  returned  almost  immedi- 
ately. She  found  Genevieve  buckling  on  a  leather 
belt  around  her  tunic. 

"I  cannot  unlock  the  door!"  exclaimed  Aurelia  in 
despair.  "The  key  will  not  turn  in  the  lock,  as  usual! 
Can  it  have  been  plugged?" 

"Dear  mistress,"  answered  Genevieve,  "come  with 
me.  We  two,  together,  may  succeed  in  turning  the 
key." 

And  the  two  crossed  the  courtyard,  and  arrived  at 
the  outer  gate.  Genevieve 's  efforts  proved  as  futile 
as  those  of  her  mistress.  The  key  refused  to  turn  in 
the  lock.  The  gate  was  surmounted  by  an  open  half- 
arch.  But  it  was  impossible  to  reach  that  opening 
without  a  ladder.  Genevieve  suddenly  turned  to 
Aurelia : 

' '  In  the  family  narratives  left  to  Fergan  I  read  that 
one  of  my  ancestresses  named  Meroe,  the  wife  of  a 
mariner,  managed,  with  the  aid  of  her  husband,  to 
climb  up  quite  a  high  tree."  1 

"How?" 


1  The    Incident    referred    to    occurs  In  "The  Brass  Bell,"  the  •«€• 
ond  of  this  series. 


114  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Be  good  enough,  dear  mistress,  to  place  your  back 
firmly  against  the  gate.  Now,  clasp  your  hands  and 
hold  them  tight,  so  that  I  may  rest  my  foot  in  their 
hollow ;  I  shall  then  place  my  other  foot  on  your  shoul- 
der, reach  the  opening,  and  leap  from  there  down  into 
the  street." 

Suddenly  the  slave  was  startled  by  the  voice  of  Seig- 
neur Gremion,  who,  from  the  terrace,  called  out 
angrily : 

"Aurelia!    Aurelia!" 

"My  husband!"  cried  the  young  woman  in  a  trem- 
ble. *'0h!  Genevieve,  you  are  lost!" 

"Your  hands,  your  hands,  dear  mistress!"  said  the 
slave  hurriedly.  "If  I  can  only  climb  up  to  the  open- 
ing I  am  safe." 

Aurelia  obeyed  Genevieve  almost  mechanically.  The 
threatening  voice  of  Seigneur  Gremion  drew  nearer 
and  nearer.  After  placing  one  foot  in  the  hollow  of 
her  mistresses 's  two  hands,  the  slave  leaped  up.  gently 
supported  her  other  foot  upon  Aurelia 's  shoulder, 
reached  the  height  of  the  opening,  managed  to  sit  her- 
self upon  the  wall,  and  remained  crouched  for  a  mo- 
ment under  the  half-arch. 

"But,"  suddenly  exclaimed  Aurelia  in  fear,  "you 
may  hurt  yourself,  poor  Genevieve,  in  jumping  down 
into  the  street." 

That  instant  Seigneur  Gremion  arrived  upon  the 
scene,  pale  and  enraged,  and  holding  a  lamp  in  his 
hand. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES.  116 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  he  shouted,  addressing 
his  wife.  "Answer!  Answer!"  And  immediately 
perceiving  the  slave  crouching  above  the  gate  he 
added : 

"Ah!  The  wretch!  The  rascal!  The  infamous 
beggar !  You  are  trying  to  escape  from  my  house,  are 
you!  And  my  unworthy  wife  is  seconding  your 
flight!" 

"Yes!"  answered  Aurelia  boldly.  "Yes!  Even  if 
you  were  to  kill  me  on  the  spot,  she  shall  escape  your 
ill  treatment ! ' ' 

After  having  surveyed  the  street  from  the  height  of 
the  opening  in  which  she  was  cowering,  Genevieve 
saw  that  she  had  to  leap  down  a  distance  of  twice  her 
height.  For  an  instant  she  hesitated.  She  heard  Seig- 
neur Gremion,  who  brutally  shook  his  wife  by  the  arm 
in  order  to  pull  her  away  from  the  chain  of  the  gate  to 
which  she  clung  with  desperation,  bellowing : 

"By  Hercules!  Will  you  let  me  through!  I  shall 
go  outside  and  wait  there  for  your  miserable  slave.  If 
she  does  not  break  her  neck  in  jumping  out  into  the 
street,  I  shall  myself  break  every  bone  in  her  body  with 
a  club!" 

"Try — jump  down  and  save  yourself,  Genevieve!" 
Aurelia  called  out.  "Be  not  afraid!  He  will  have  to 
trample  me  under  his  feet  before  he  can  open  the 
door!" 

Genevieve  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven  to  invoke  the 
protection  of  the  gods,  gathered  herself  together,  leaped 


11«  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

down  from  the  half-arch,  and  was  lucky  enough  to 
strike  ground  without  hurting  herself.  Nevertheless, 
for  an  instant  the  fall  dazed  her ;  but  she  speedily  rose 
and  fled  rapidly,  her  heart  aching  at  the  cries  emitted 
from  within  by  her  mistress,  whom  her  husband 
was  striking. 

After  first  running  precipitately  in  order  to  be  as  far 
as  possible  from  her  master's  house,  the  slave  stopped 
a  moment  for  breath,  and  then  pursued  her  way  in  the 
direction  of  the  Wild  Ass  tavern,  where  she  expected 
to  ascertain  the  whereabouts  of  the  young  master  of 
Nazareth,  whom  she  was  to  warn  of  the  danger  that 
threatened  him. 

Her  expectations  were  not  deceived.  The  tavern- 
keeper  to  whom  she  addressed  herself  informed  her 
that  Jesus  had  left  the  place  a  few  hours  before  her 
arrival,  leading  several  of  his  disciples  in  the  direction 
of  the  Torrent  of  Cedron  to  a  garden  planted  with  olive 
trees,  where  he  often  repaired  at  night  to  meditate  and 
pray. 

Genevieve  started  in  haste  towards  the  place  desig- 
nated. As  she  was  passing  through  the  city  gate,  she 
saw  at  a  little  distance  behind  her  in  the  dark  the 
light  of  several  torches  shimmering  upon  the  casques 
and  armors  of  a  considerable  troop  of  soldiers.  They 
marched  in  disorder,  and  emitted  confused  clamors. 
Fearing  they  might  have  been  sent  out  by  the  Phari- 
sees to  seize  the  son  of  Mary,  the  slave  began  to  run, 


THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES.  "7 

hoping  to  be  beforehand  with  them,  and  arrive  in  time 
10  give  the  alarm  to  Jesus  or  his  disciples. 

She  was  but  a  little  distance  away  from  these  armed 
men,  whom  she  recognized  as  Jerusalem  militiamen, 
people  who  enjoyed  but  a  poor  reputation  for  courage, 
when,  by  a  ray  of  light  from  the  torches  that  they 
carried,  she  noticed  on  one  side  of  the  highway  and 
winding  in  the  same  direction,  a  narrower  path  lined 
with  turpentine-trees.  She  struck  into  the  path  in  order 
to  escape  being  seen  by  the  soldiers,  at  the  head  of  whom 
she  distinguished  Judas,  the  disciple  of  the  young  mas- 
ter whom  she  had  noticed  at  the  Wild  Ass  tavern  on 
the  night  of  her  previous  sally  with  her  mistress.  She 
now  heard  him  say  in  a  loud  voice  to  the  militia  offi- 
cer in  command  of  the  escort : 

"Seigneur,  whomsoever  I  shall  kiss,  that  same  is 
the  Nazarene." 

"Oh!  This  time,"  answered  the  officer,  "he  shall 
not  escape  us,  and  to-morrow,  before  the  sun  is  down, 
the  seditious  fellow  will  have  paid  the  penalty  of  his 
crimes. — Let  us  hurry. — Let  us  hurry.  Someone  of  his 
disciples  might  notify  him  of  our  approach.  Let  us 
be  cautious — lest  we  fall  into  some  ambush — and  let  us 
be  particularly  cautious  when  on  the  point  of  seizing  the 
Nazarene. — He  might  employ  against  us  some  magical 
or  diabolical  charm. — In  recommending  prudence  to 
you,"  explained  the  militia  officer  affecting  a  bold 
,'oice,  "it  is  not  because  I  am  afraid  of  danger — but  in 
order  to  insure  the  success  of  our  enterprise." 


118  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

The  militiamen  did  not  seem  greatly  reassured  by 
these  words  of  their  officer,  and  they  slackened  their 
pace  out  of  fear  of  falling  into  ambush.  Genevieve 
profited  by  this  circumstance,  and  starting  to  run,  she 
arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  Torrent  of  Cedron.  She 
noticed  a  little  hill  planted  with  olives  at  a  short  dis- 
tance from  where  she  stood.  This  wood,  wrapt  in  the 
shade,  was  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  surround- 
ing darkness  of  the  night.  She  listened. — Silence  all 
around.  Only  at  a  distance  behind  her  the  measured 
steps  were  heard  of  the  soldiers  who  drew  slowly  near. 
For  a  moment  Genevieve  gathered  hope,  thinking  that, 
perhaps,  warned  in  time,  the  young  master  of  Naza- 
reth had  left  the  place.  She  was  advancing  cautiously 
in  the  dark  when  she  stumbled  against  a  body  that 
lay  at  the  foot  of  an  olive  tree.  She  could  not  with- 
hold a  cry  of  fear,  when  the  man  against  whom  her 
feet  had  struck  awoke  with  a  start,  saying : 

"Master,  forgive  me,  but  this  time  again  I  could  not 
overcome  the  sleep  that  fell  upon  me. ' ' 

"A  disciple  of  Jesus!"  cried  the  slave,  anew 
alarmed.  "He  must  be  here!" 

And  addressing  herself  to  the  man : 

"Since  you  are  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  save  him — it  is 
still  time. — Look  yonder,  in  the  distance, — the  torches ! 
— Do  you  hear  confused  clamors? — They  want  to  ar- 
rest him — and  do  him  to  death. — Save  him !  Save  the 
young  master!" 

"Who?"  answered  the  disciple,  still  half  numb  with 


THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES.  119 

sleep.  "Whom  do  they  want  to  do  to  death? — Who 
are  you?" 

"It  matters  not  who  I  am! — Save  your  master! — 
They  are  coming  to  seize  him — the  soldiers  are  ap- 
proaching—  " 

"Yes!"  answered  the  disciple  in  a  tone  of  surprise 
and  fear,  being  now  finally  thoroughly  awake.  "I  see 
at  a  distance  the  shimmer  of  casques  in  the  light  of 
torches.  But, ' '  he  added,  looking  around  him,  ' '  where 
are  my  companions?" 

"Probably  asleep  like  yourself,"  said  Genevieve. 
"And  your  master,  where  is  he?" 

"Yonder,  in  the  Garden  of  Olives,  whither  he  fre- 
quently withdraws  to  meditate.  This  night  his  soul 
felt  exceeding  sorrowful — he  wished  to  be  alone,  and 
withdrew  under  those  trees,  after  recommending  to  us 
all  that  we  watch — " 

''Pie  must  have  anticipated  the  danger  that  threat- 
ened him,"  cried  Genevieve,  "and  you  had  not  the 
strength  to  resist  sleep?" 

"No.  I  and  my  companions  struggled  in  vain — our 
master  came  twice  and  woke  us  up,  kindly  reproach- 
ing us  for  having  fallen  asleep — and  then  he  retired 
again  to  meditate  and  pray  under  the  trees — " 

"The  militiamen!"  cried  Genevieve.  seeing  that  the 
light  of  the  torches  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  "They 
are  here ! — He  is  lost ! — unless  he  can  hide  in  the  wood 
— or  that  you  die  in  his  defence — Are  you  armed?" 

"We  have  no  arms  with  us,"  answered  the  disciple 


120  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

beginning  to  tremble.  "Besides,  it  would  be  senseless 
to  think  of  resisting  the  soldiers! — " 

"No  arms!"  cried  Genevieve  indignant.  "Are  arms 
necessary  ?  Are  not  the  stones  on  the  road,  is  not  cour- 
age enough  to  crush  those  men?" 

"We  are  not  men  of  the  sword,"  said  the  disciple 
looking  around  uneasily,  seeing  that  the  militiamen 
were  near  enough  to  *vhere  he  stood  partly  to  light  up 
Genevieve,  the  disciple  and  several  of  his  companions 
vvhom  she  then  began  to  distinguish  lying  here  and 
there  asleep  at  the  feet  of  the  trees. 

The  militiamen  hastened  to  the  spot  tumultnously. 
Descrying  by  the  light  of  their  torches  several  men, 
some  still  asleep  on  the  ground,  others  rising,  and  some 
standing,  they  precipitated  themselves  upon  them, 
threatening  them  with  their  swords  and  staves,  sev- 
eral of  them  being  armed  only  with  staves,  and  all 
shouting : 

"Where  is  the  Nazarene? — Tell  us,  Judas,  where  is 
he?" 

The  traitor  and  infamous  disciple,  after  examining 
by  the  light  of  the  torches  the  countenances  of  his  old 
companions,  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  who  were  now  held 
prisoners,  said  to  the  officer : 

"The  young  master  is  not  among  these." 

"Is  he  to  escape  us  this  time  again?"  cried  the  offi- 
cer. "By  the  pillars  of  the  Temple!  You  received 
the  price  of  his  blood,  traitor !  You  shall  deliver  him 
to  us!" 


THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES.  121 

Genevieve  held  herself  aloof  in  the  shadow.  Sud- 
denly she  noticed  a  few  steps  from  her,  on  the  side  of 
the  Garden  of  Olives,  something  resembling  a  white 
figure  and  clearly  distinguishable  from  the  darkness, 
approaching  the  soldiers.  Genevieve 's  heart  felt  like 
breaking.  Undoubtedly  it  was  the  young  master,  whom 
the  noise  of  the  loud  voices  was  attracting  to  the  spot. 
She  was  not  mistaken.  She  soon  recognized  Jesus  by 
the  light  of  the  torches.  On  his  sweet,  sad  face  neither 
fear  nor  surprise  was  depicted. 

Judas  made  a  sign  of  intelligence  to  the  officer,  ran 
forward  to  meet  the  young  man  of  Nazareth,  and 
said: 

"Hail,  master;" — and  he  kissed  him. 

At  these  words,  those  of  the  militiamen  not  engaged 
in  holding  the  disciples  who  vainly  struggled  to  escape, 
remembering  the  recommendations  of  their  officer  on 
the  subject  of  the  infernal  sorceries  that  Jesus  would 
be  inclined  to  use  against  them,  looked  at  him  with 
fear,  and  hesitated  to  approach  and  seize  their  pris- 
oner. The  officer  himself  kept  at  a  safe  distance  be- 
hind his  soldiers,  and  urged  them  to  lay  hands  on 
Jesus,  without  himself  daring  to  set  them  the  exam- 
ple. 

Calm  and  pensive,  the  young  master  took  a  few 
steps  towards  the  armed  men,  and  said  to  them  in  his 
sweet  voice : 

"Whom  seek  you?" 

"We  seek  Jesus  of  Nazareth,"  answered  the  officer, 


122  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

without  coming  from  behind  his  soldiers.  "We  seek 
Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

"I  am  he,"  said  the  young  master,  taking  another 
step  towards  the  soldiers. 

The  latter  went  backward,  afraid. 

Jesus  repeated : 

"I  ask  you  again,  whom  seek  you?" 

"Jesus  of  Nazareth!"  they  all  answered  in  chorus. 
"We  want  to  seize  Jesus  of  Nazareth." 

And  again  they  went  back. 

"I  told  you  that  I  am  he,"  answered  the  young  mas- 
ter, stepping  nearer  to  them.  "If  therefore  you  seek 
me,  let  those  go  their  way,"  he  added,  pointing  to  his 
disciples,  who  were  still  held  fast  by  the  soldiers. 

The  officer  made  a  sign  to  the  militiamen,  who  still 
wavered.  Nevertheless  two  of  them  approached 
Jesus  to  bind  him,  while  he  remarked  to  them  in  a  kind 
voice : 

"Are  you  come  out  as  against  a  thief  with  swords 
and  staves  for  to  take  me  ?  I  sat  daily  with  you  teach- 
ing in  the  Temple,  and  you  laid  no  hold  on  me."1 

Then  voluntarily  he  extended  his  hands  to  the  cords 
with  which  he  was  bound.  The  cowardly  disciples  of 
the  young  master  did  not  have  the  courage  to  defend 
him.  They  dared  not  even  accompany  him  as  far  as 
the  prison.  The  instant  they  were  no  longer  held 
by  the  soldiers  they  fled  in  all  directions. 

A  sad  smile  flitted  over  the  lips  of  Jesus,  as  he  saw 

»John    18.6-8;    Matthew    26.55-56. 


THE  GARDEN  OF  OLIVES.  123 

himself  thus  betrayed  and  forsaken  by  those  whom  he 
had  loved  so  dearly,  and  whom  he  took  to  be  his 
friends. 

Hidden  in  the  shadow  of  an  olive-tree,  Genevieve 
could  not  hold  back  tears  of  grief  and  indignation  at 
seeing  those  men  thus  abandon  the  young  master  like 
cravens.  She  now  understood  why  the  doctors  of  the 
law  and  the  chief  priests,  instead  of  arresting  him  in 
plain  day,  waited  for  the  night  to  seize  him.  They 
feared  the  anger  of  the  people,  and  of  such  resolute 
men  as  Banaias.  These  never  would  have  allowed  the 
friend  of  the  poor  to  be  carried  away  without  offering 
resistance. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
BEFORE  CAIAPHAS. 

The  militiamen  marched  out  of  the  Garden  of  Olives 
loading  their  prisoner  in  their  midst.  They  returned 
to  the  city.  After  a  while  Genevieve  noticed  that  a 
man,  whose  face  she  could  not  see  clearly  in  the  dark, 
followed  at  a  little  distance  behind  her,  and  several 
times  she  heard  the  man  sigh  and  sob  aloud. 

After  re-entering  Jerusalem  through  silent  and  de- 
serted streets,  as  these  usually  are  at  this  hour  of  the 
night,  the  soldiers  proceeded  to  the  palace  of  Caiaphas, 
the  High  Priest,  whither  they  took  Jesus.  Perceiving 
a  large  number  of  domestic  servants  at  Caiaphas'  door, 
Genevieve  mingled  among  them  when  the  soldiers 
went  in,  and  remained  for  a  while  in  the  vestibule 
which  was  lighted  by  torches.  It  was  only  then  that, 
in  the  light  shed  by  the  torches,  she  recognized  the  man 
who  had  followed  the  friend  of  the  oppressed  from  the 
Garden  of  Olives.  He  looked  at  once  grieved  and 
afraid.  Tears  inundated  his  face.  Genevieve  at  first 
believed  that  at  least  one  of  the  friends  of  the  young 
master  had  remained  true  to  him,  and  that  he  would 
surely  prove  his  loyalty  by  accompanying  Jesus  before 


BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.  125 

the  tribunal  of  Caiaphas.  Alas!  The  slave  was  mis- 
taken. Hardly  had  Peter  crossed  the  threshold  when, 
instead  of  walking  on  and  joining  the  son  of  Mary,  he 
sat  down  upon  one  of  the  benches  in  the  vestibule 
among  the  servants  of  Caiaphas,  and  hid  his  face  in  his 
hands. 

Seeing  at  the  farther  end  of  the  courtyard  a  bright 
light  escaping  from  a  door  outside  of  which  pressed 
the  soldiers  of  the  escort,  Genevieve  approached  them. 
The  door  belonged  to  a  spacious  hall,  in  the  center  of 
which  rose  a  tribunal  lighted  by  numerous  flambeaux. 
She  recognized,  seated  behind  the  tribunal,  many 
faces  that  she  had  seen  at  the  supper  party  of  Pontius 
Pilate.  Seigneur  Caiaphas,  the  High  Priest;  Baruch, 
the  doctor  of  the  law;  Jonas,  the  Senator  and  banker 
were  among  the  judges  of  the  young  master  of  Naza- 
reth. The  prisoner  was  led  before  them  with  his  hands 
bound.  His  face  preserved  its  habitual  serenity,  sad- 
ness and  sweetness.  A  short  distance  from  him  stood 
the  tip-staves.  Behind  these,  and  mixed  with  the  mili- 
tiamen and  domestics  of  the  household  of  Caiaphas, 
were  the  two  spies  whom  Genevieve  had  noticed  at  the 
tavern  of  the  Wild  Ass. 

The  countenance  of  the  friend  of  the  afflicted  was 
tranquil  and  dignified.  His  judges  looked  irritated. 
Their  features  expressed  the  triumph  of  a  spiteful  joy. 
They  spoke  in  a  low  voice  among  themselves,  and  off 
and  on  they  pointed  their  fingers  threateningly  at 


126  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

the  son  of  Mary,  who  patiently  waited  to  be  interro- 
gated. 

Unnoticed  among  the  audience  that  crowded  the 
hall,  Gtenevieve  could  hear  all  that  the  enemies  of  the 
young  master  said  among  themselves. 

"Caught,  at  last,  this  Nazarene  who  preached  sedi- 
tion!" 

"Ha!  He  now  looks  less  insolent  than  when  he  was 
at  the  head  of  his  band  of  villains  and  prostitutes!" 

"He  preaches  against  the  rich ! "  exclaimed  one  of  the 
domestics  of  the  High  Priest.  "He  commands  the  re- 
nunciation of  riches — but  if  our  masters  were  to  keep 
poor  cheer,  we  servants  would  then  be  reduced  to  the 
lot  of  hungry  mendicants,  instead  of  fattening  upon 
the  abundant  scraps  of  delicate  feasts,  and  getting 
drunk  on  the  leavings  in  the  bottles  of  delicate  wines." 

"And  that's  not  all,"  came  from  another  servant. 
"If  the  accursed  Nazarene  were  to  have  his  way,  our 
masters,  after  voluntarily  impoverishing  themselves, 
would  have  to  renounce  all  magnificence  and  all  enjoy- 
ments. They  could  not  cast  off  every  day  superb  robes 
or  tunics,  the  color  or  the  embroidery  of  which  pleased 
them  no  longer. — Now,  who  profits  by  the  whims  of 
our  fastidious  seigneurs  but  we? — Tunics  and  robes 
fall  to  our  share ! — 

"And  if  our  masters  were  to  renounce  pleasure  in 
order  to  live  amid  fasts  and  prayers,  they  would  no 
longer  keep  handsome  concubines;  they  would  not 
have  occasion  to  entrust  us  with  their  amorous  mes- 


BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.  12T 

sages,  or  to  engage  our  services  in  brokerages  that  are 
so  magnificently  rewarded  when  successful ! ' ' 

"Yes — yes — "  cried  several  of  them  together, 
"death  to  the  Nazarene,  who  would  turn  us,  who  live 
in  idleness,  abundance  and  joy,  into  mendicants,  or 
beasts  of  burden!" 

Genevieve  heard  a  good  many  other  remarks  made  in 
an  undertone,  and  all  ominous  to  the  life  of  the  friend 
of  the  afflicted.  One  of  the  two  secret  emissaries, 
behind  whom  she  happened  to  stand,  said  to  his  fel- 
low: 

"Our  evidence  will  suffice  to  convict  the  hellish 
Nazarene.  I  have  arranged  matters  with  Seigneur 
Caiaphas." 

At  that  moment,  one  of  the  High  Priest's  tip-staves, 
who  was  placed  beside  the  young  master  of  Nazareth, 
and  charged  to  keep  watch  over  him,  struck  the  slab- 
stones  of  the  hall  with  his  mace.  Immediately  there 
was  a  dead  silence. 

Thereupon,  after  exchanging  a  few  words  in  a  low 
voice  with  the  other  Pharisees  who  constituted  the 
tribunal,  Caiaphas  addressed  the  audience: 

' '  Is  there  any  present  who  has  come  to  depose  against 
the  man  named  Jesus  of  Nazareth?" 

One  of  the  emissaries  stepped  to  the  foot  of  the 
tribunal  and  said  in  a  solemn  voice: 

"I  swear  that  I  heard  this  man  affirm  that  the  high 
priests  and  the  doctors  of  the  law  were  all  a  lot  of 


128  THE  SILVER  CROSS, 

hypocrites,  and  that  he  spoke  of  them  as  a  generation 
of  vipers  and  serpents." 

A  murmur  of  indignation  ran  through  the  ranks  of 
the  militiamen  and  domestic  servants  of  the  High 
Priest.  The  judges  looked  at  one  another,  as  though 
they  asked  whether  it  were  possible  for  such  words  to 
have  been  uttered. 

The  other  emissary  then  stepped  forward  beside  his 
accomplice,  and,  raising  his  hand  above  his  head,  added 
in  a  no  less  solemn  voice : 

"I  swear  I  heard  this  man  affirm  that  the  people 
should  rise  against  Prince  Herod,  and  also  against 
the  Emperor  Tiberius,  the  august  protector  of  Judea, 
and  proclaim  himself  King  of  the  Jews." 

While  a  smile  of  pity  flitted  over  the  lips  of  the  son 
of  Mary  at  these  false  charges,  seeing  he  had  distinctly 
said:  "Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's, 
and  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's,"  the  Pharisees 
of  the  tribunal  raised  their  hands  to  heaven  in  order 
to  take  it  to  witness  of  such  enormities. 

One  of  the  domestic  servants  of  Caiaphas  now 
stepped  forward,  and,  in  turn,  said  to  the  judges : 

"I  swear  I  heard  this  man  say  that  all  the  Pharisees 
should  be  massacred,  their  houses  should  be  sacked,  and 
their  wives  violated!" 

A  fresh  movement  of  horror  was  manifested  among 
the  judges  and  their  devoted  partisans  in  the  audi- 
ence. 


BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.  129 

"Pillage!  Massacre!  Violation  of  women!"  cried 
out  some. 

"Just  think  of  what  the  Nazarene  proposes!"  cried 
others. 

"Abomination  and  desolation!"  came  from  another 
set  of  throats. 

"That  is  why  he  always  leads  a  gang  of  villains  at 
his  heels! — " 

"He  surely  meant  to  set  fire  some  day  to  Jerusa- 
lem!—" 

"And  sack  the  city!—" 

"And  put  the  people  to  the  sword! — " 

Caiaphas  the  High  Priest,  who  presided,  made  a 
sign  to  one  of  the  tip-staves  to  order  silence.  The  offi- 
cer struck  the  slab  with  his  mace.  Everyone  kept 
quiet. 

Then,  addressing  the  young  master  in  a  threatening 
voice,  he  said: 

"Why  answer  you  not  to  what  these  witnesses 
have  testified  against  you?" 

Jesus  answered  in  an  accent  that  breathed  sweetness 
and  dignity: 

"I  spake  openly  to  the  world;  I  ever  taught  in  the 
synagogue,  and  in  the  Temple,  whither  the  Jews  always 
resort;  and  in  secret  have  I  said  nothing.  Why  ask 
you  me?  Ask  them  which  heard  me,  what  I  have  said 
unto  them;  behold,  they  know  what  I  said." 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  when  Genevieve  saw  one  of 
the  tip-staves,  furious  at  this  so  just  and  calm  answer, 


130  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

raise  his  hand  and  strike  Jesus  in  the  face  with  the  palm 
of  it,  crying: 

"Answer  you  the  High  Priest  so?" 

At  so  infamous  an  outrage,  to  strike  a  man  whose 
hands  were  bound.  Genevieve  felt  her  heart  leap,  and 
tears  welled  out  of  her  eyes,  while  among  the  soldiers 
and  domestic  servants  of  the  High  Priest,  on  the  con- 
trary, loud  roars  of  laughter  rent  the  air. 

The  son  of  Mary  remained  imperturbably  placid.  He 
only  turned  toward  the  tip-staff  and  said  to  him 
gently : 

"If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil;  but 
if  well,  why  smite  me?"1 

These  words,  this  angelical  meekness  did  not  disarm 
the  persecutors  of  the  young  man.  Fresh  peals  of 
coarse  laughter  broke  out  throughout  the  hall,  and 
insulting  jeers  were  recommenced  from  all  sides. 

"Ha!  The  Nazarene,  the  man  of  peace,  the  enemy 
of  war  does  not  belie  himself!  He  is  a  coward  and 
suffers  his  face  to  be  smitten ! — 

"Why  call  you  not  to  your  disciples! — Let  them 
come  to  your  deliverance  and  to  revenge  you ! — 

"His  disciples!"  came  mockingly  from  one  of  the 
militiamen  who  had  arrested  Jesus.  "His  disciples! 
Ha!  Had  you  only  seen  them!  At  the  mere  sight 
of  our  lances  and  torches,  the  cowards  fled  like  a  brood 
of  owls!" 

"They  were  only  too  happy  to  escape  from  the  spell 

»John  18.20-23. 


BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.  131 

of  the  Nazarene,  who  held  them,  bound  to  him  by 
magic!" 

' '  The  proof  that  they  hate  and  despise  him  is  clear — 
not  one  of  them,  not  a  single,  solitary  one  dared  to 
come  in  here  with  him ! ' ' 

"Oh!"  thought  Genevieve.  "How  much  must  not 
Jesus  suffer  from  this  cowardly  ingratitude  of  his 
friends!  That  must  be  more  painful  to  him  than  the 
insults  that  he  bends  under." 

And  turning  her  head  in  the  direction  of  the  street 
door,  she  saw  Peter  at  a  distance.  He  was  still  seated 
on  the  bench  with  his  face  buried  in  his  hands,  and  too 
cowardly  to  step  forward  to  the  defence  of  his  kind 
master  before  the  tribunal  of  blood. 

The  uproar  caused  by  the  tip-staff's  act  of  violence 
subsided  by  little  and  little.  One  of  the  emissaries  then 
resumed  in  a  stentorian  voice: 

"Finally,  I  swear  that  this  abominable  man  blas- 
phemed by  calling  himself  the  Christ,  the  son  of 
God!" 

Caiaphas,  then,  again  addressing  Jesus,  said  to 
him  in  a  still  more  menacing  voice : 

"Answer  you  nothing?  What  is  it  which  these  wit- 
ness against  you?" 

But  the  young  master  slightly  shrugged  his  shoulders 
and  held  his  peace. 

The  silence  of  Jesus  enraged  Caiaphas ;  he  rose  in  his 
seat,  and  shaking  his  fist  at  the  son  of  Mary,  cried : 


132  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"I  adjure  you  by  the  living  God,  that  you  tell  us 
whether  you  be  the  Christ,  the  son  of  God! — " 

"  You  have  said;  I  am;"  answered  the  young  master 
with  a  sad  smile. 

Genevieve  had  heard  Jesus  say  that  all  men  were 
the  sons  of  God,  in  the  same  spirit  that  the  druids 
teach  that  all  men  are  children  of  one  God.  What, 
then,  was  the  astonishment  of  the  slave  when  she  now 
saw  the  High  Priest,  the  moment  Jesus  answered  him 
that  he  was  the  son  of  God,  rise,  rend  his  clothes  with 
all  the  signs  of  terror  and  horror,  and,  addressing  him- 
self to  the  members  of  the  tribunal,  exclaim: 

"He  speaks  blasphemy! — "What  further  need  have 
we  of  witnesses?  Behold,  now  ye  have  heard  his  blas- 
phemy. What  think  ye?" 

"He  is  guilty  of  death!" 

That  was  the  answer  of  all  the  judges  of  that  tribunal 
of  iniquity. 

But  the  voices  of  Doctor  Baruch  and  of  the  banker 
•Jonas  were  heard  above  all  others.  Striking  the  mar- 
Me  of  the  tribunal,  they  cried  aloud : 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene!    He  deserves  death !" 

"Yes! — Yes!"  responded  the  militiamen  and  domes- 
tic servants  of  the  High  Priest.  "He  deserves  death! 
Death  to  the  villain!" 

"Take  the  criminal  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Pontius  Pilate,  the  Governor  of  Judea  for  the  Emperor 
Tiberius !"  ordered  Caiaphas  to  the  soldiers.  "Only  he 


BEFORE  CAIAPHAS.  133 

can  issue  the  order  to  put  the    condemned    man    to 
death." 

At  these  words  of  the  High  Priest,  the  son  of  Mary 
was  dragged  out  of  the  house,  in  order  to  be  taken  be- 
fore Pontius  Pilate. x 


'Matthew  26.62-66. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE ! 

To  the  cry  of:  "On,  to  Pontius  Pilate!"  the  mob  of 
menials  followed  the  soldiers  who  took  Jesus  to  the 
Roman  magistrate. 

Mixing  among  the  servants  Genevieve  also  followed 
the  soldiers.  As  she  passed  under  the  vault  of  the 
outer  door  she  saw  Peter,  the  cowardly  disciple  of  the 
young  master,  although  less  cowardly  than  all  the  rest, 
seeing  that  he  alone  had  followed  Jesus  so  far.  She 
saw  Peter  turn  his  head  away  as  Jesus,  who  sought  to 
catch  his  disciple's  eye,  passed  before  him  in  the  cus- 
tody of  the  soldiers. 

One  of  the  female  servants  of  the  house,  thinking  she 
recognized  Peter,  said  to  him : 

"You  also  were  with  Jesus  of  Galilee." 

But  Peter,  blushing  and  dropping  his  eyes  answered : 

"I  know  not  what  you  say." 

Another  servant,  who  heard  Peter's  answer,  said 
unto  them  that  were  there : 

"I  tell  you  this  fellow  was  also  with  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth." 

"I  swear,"  cried  Peter,  "I  swear  I  do  not  know 
Jesus  of  Nazareth." 


ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE!  135 

Genevieve's  heart  revolted  with  indignation  and  dis- 
gust. Peter,  who  either  through  a  cowardly  weakness, 
or,  perhaps,  fearing  to  share  his  master's  fate,  denied 
him  twice  with  perjury,  was  in  her  estimation  the  low- 
est of  men.  More  than  ever  did  she  pity  the  son  of 
Mary  for  having  been  betrayed,  deserted  and  then  de- 
nied by  the  very  ones  who  were  so  near  to  his  heart. 

In  this  way  she  explained  to  herself  the  heart-rending 
look  of  sadness  that  she  had  observed  on  the  face  of 
Jesus.  A  great  soul  like  his  could  not  fear  death,  he 
could  only  feel  distressed  at  the  ingratitude  of  those 
whom  he  took  for  his  dearest  friends. 

The  slave  left  the  house  of  the  High  Priest  where 
Peter  the  renegate  and  foremost  disciple  had  remained 
behind,  and  speedily  rejoined  the  soldiers  who  carried 
Jesus  away.  Day  was  beginning  to  dawn.  A  number 
of  mendicants  and  vagabonds  who  spent  the  night  upon 
the  benches,  placed  on  either  side  of  the  doors  of  the 
houses,  awoke  at  the  noise  made  by  the  tramp  of  the 
approaching  soldiers  who  led  Jesus  captive.  For  a 
moment  Genevieve  hoped  that  these  poor  people,  who 
had  followed  the  young  master  everywhere,  who  called 
him  their  friend,  and  for  whom  they  now  seemed  to 
have  so  much  pity,  would  hasten  to  notify  their  ac- 
quaintances, gather  them  together,  and  free  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth  from  his  captors. 

She  addressed  one  of  these : 

"Are  you  aware  that  those  soldiers  have  seized  the 
young  master  of  Nazareth,  the  friend  of  the  poor  and 


136  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

afflicted  ?  They  mean  to  put  him  to  death.  Run  to  his 
defence! — Free  him!  Arouse  the  people!  The  sol- 
diers will  flee  before  you." 

But  the  man  answered  in  a  timorous  voice : 

"The  Jerusalem  militia  may,  perhaps,  flee.  But  the 
soldiers  of  Pontius  Pilate  are  veterans.  They  have 
strong  lances,  thick  cuirasses,  and  sharp-edged  swords. 
"What  could  we  do  against  them?" 

"But  you  may  rise  in  mass!  You  may  arm  your- 
selves with  stones  and  sticks!"  cried  Genevieve.  "At 
least  you  could  die  in  attempting  to  revenge  a  man  who 
consecrated  himself  to  your  cause!" 

The  mendicant  shook  his  head  and  answered  as  one 
of  his  friends  drew  near  him  : 

"However  wretched  life  may  be,  a  man  holds  fast 
to  it.  It  would  be  like  rushing  into  the  jaws  of  death 
to  rub  our  rags  against  the  cuirasses  of  the  Roman  sol- 
diers." 

"Besides,"  put  in  the  other  vagabond,  "if  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  is  a  Messiah,  like  so  many  others  who  pre- 
ceded and  so  many  more  who  will  follow  him,  it  would 
be,  indeed,  a  misfortune  if  he  is  killed.  But  we  never 
run  short  of  Messiahs  in  Israel." 

"But  if  he  is  done  to  death,"  cried  Genevieve  in 
despair,  "it  is  because  he  has  loved  you — it  is  because 
he  took  pity  upon  your  distress — it  is  because  he  cast 
up  to  the  rich  the  hypocrisy  and  the  hardness  of  their 
hearts  towards  those  who  suffer." 

"That's  all  very  true.     He  has  unceasingly  predicted 


ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE!  137 

to  us  the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth," 
answered  the  vagabond,  stretching  himself  out  again 
upon  his  bench  in  order  to  enjoy  the  warmth  of  the 
rising  sun.  "Nevertheless  the  happy  days  which  he 
promises  us  do  not  arrive — we  are  beggars  to-day,  as 
much  so  as  we  were  yesterday." 

"And  who  tells  you  but  that  those  happy  days  which 
he  promises  will  arrive  to-morrow?"  inquired  Gene- 
vieve.  "Do  not  the  crops  need  time  to  germinate,  to 
grow  and  to  ripen?  Poor  impatient  blind  men  that 
you  are! — Consider  that  if  you  suffer  him  whom  you 
call  your  friend  to  be  killed  before  he  has  fecundated 
the  good  seed  that  he  sowed  in  the  hearts  of  the  people, 
you  thereby  suffer  a  harvest,  that  may  become  bounti- 
ful, to  be  trampled  under  foot  and  destroyed  in  the 
bud." 

The  two  vagabonds  remained  silent  and  shook  their 
heads.  Genevieve  left  them,  thinking  to  herself  with 
redoubled  sorrow: 

"Am  I  to  meet  on  all  hands  nothing  but  ingratitude, 
oblivion,  cowardice  and  treachery!  Oh,  it  is  not  the 
body  of  Jesus  that  will  be  crucified;  it  will  be  his 
heart!" 

The  slave  hastened  to  come  up  with  the  soldiers  who 
were  rapidly  drawing  near  the  palace  of  Pontius  Pilate. 
At  the  moment  when  she  began  to  quicken  her  pace  she 
observed  a  sort  of  tumult  among  the  Jerusalem  mili- 
tiamen who  made  a  sudden  halt.  She  mounted  upon 
a  stone  bench,  and  then  saw  Banaiias  standing  alone 


138  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

and  intercepting  the  passage  of  the  soldiers  in  a  nar- 
row arcade  which  the  troop  had  to  cross  in  order  to 
reach  the  Governor's  palace.  Banaias  barred  the  pass- 
age with  audacity,  whirling  his  iron-tipped  stick  over 
his  head. 

' '  Oh !  He  at  any  rate  did  not  desert  the  man  whom 
he  called  his  friend!"  thought  poor  Genevieve. 

"By  the  shoulders  of  Sampson!"  bellowed  Banaias. 
"If  you.  do  not  set  our  friend  free  on  the  spot,  you 
militiamen  of  Beelzebub,  I  shall  rain  blows  upon  you 
as  hard  as  the  flail  beats  the  wheat  on  the  barn-floor! 
Ah!  If  I  only  had  had  time  to  gather  a  band  of  my 
companions  who  are  as  determined  as  myself  to  de- 
fend our  friend  of  Nazareth,  I  would  issue  an  order 
instead  of  addressing  a  request  to  you,  and  that  request 
I  now  repeat — let  go  our  friend!  If  you  don't,  by  the 
jawbone  that  Sampson  helped  himself  with,  I  shall 
brain  everyone  of  you,  even  as  Sampson  brained  the 
Philistines!" 

"Do  you  hear  the  villain?  He  calls  such  an  insolent 
threat  a  request!"  cried  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
militiamen,  prudently  keeping  himself  in  the  midst  of 
his  soldiers.  "Run  the  wretch  through  with  your 
lances!  Smite  him  with  your  swords,  if  he  does  not 
clear  the  way!" 

The  Jerusalem  militiamen  were  not  a  very  valiant 
set  of  men.  They  had  hesitated  considerably  before 
seizing  Jesus,  who  advanced  towards  them  alone  and 
unarmed  in  the  Garden  of  Olives.  Despite  the  orders 


ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE!  139 

of  their  chief  they  remained  undecided  for  a  moment 
before  the  threatening  attitude  of  Banaias.  In  vain 
did  Jesus,  whose  sweet  yet  firm  voice  Genevieve  could 
hear,  seek  to  appease  his  defender  and  request  him  to 
withdraw. 

Banaias'  only  answer  to  the  entreaties  of  the  young 
master  was  to  bellow  still  louder  and  more  threaten- 
ingly at  the  latter 's  captors,  and  addressing  him 
said  : 

' '  Take  no  thought  of  me,  our  friend.  You  are  a  man 
of  peace  and  harmony.  I,  on  the  contrary,  am  a  man 
of  violence  and  struggle.  When  a  weak  man  is  to  be 
protected  leave  that  to  me.  I  shall  block  the  path  of 
these  soldiers  until  the  noise  of  the  affray  reaches  my 
friends  and  fetches  them  to  my  support.  Then — by 
the  five  hundred  concubines  of  Solomon  who  danced 
naked  before  him !  you  will  then  see  the  jig  that  these 
militiamen  of  the  devil  will  be  put  through,  to  the 
tune  of  our  iron-headed  sticks  beating  time  upon  their 
casques  and  shining  cuirasses!" 

"How  long  are  you  going  to  allow  yourselves  to  be 
insulted  by  a  single  man,  my  brave  soldiers ! ' '  cried  the 
officer  of  the  militiamen.  "Oh!  If  only  my  orders 
were  not  to  stick  close  as  his  shadow  to  the  Nazarene — 
then— then  I  would  show  you  what  to  do — my  long 
sword  would  long  ago  have  cut  the  bandit's  throat!" 

"By  the  navel  of  Abraham!  It  is  I  who  will  run 
through  your  bowels  and  tear  our  friend  from  your 
clutches;"  responded  Banaias.  "I  am  all  alone — but 


140  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

one  good  falcon  is  worth  more  than  a  hundred  black- 
birds!" 

Saying  this  Banaias  rushed  upon  the  militiamen, 
whirling  his  iron-headed  stick  over  his  head,  desoite 
the  entreaties  of  Jesus. 

Taken  at  first  off  their  guard  and  thrown  into  dis- 
order by  such  audacity,  several  soldiers  in  the  front 
ranks  of  the  escort  took  to  their  heels.  But  presently 
ashamed  of  their  cowardice  and  realizing  that  there 
was  only  one  man  to  contend  with,  they  rallied  and  at- 
tacked Banaias  in  turn.  Galled  from  all  sides  and 
overwhelmed  by  superior  numbers,  Banaias  finally 
dropped  dead,  cut  to  pieces,  despite  the  heroic  resist- 
ance that  he  offered.  Genevieve  saw  the  enraged  sol- 
diers thereupon  pick  up  and  throw  the  bleeding,  man- 
gled body  of  the  only  defender  of  the  son  of  Mary  into 
a  pit  that  stood  near  the  arcade.  After  this  exploit 
the  officer,  brandishing  his  long  sword,  placed  himself 
valorously  at  the  head  of  his  troop,  and  the  whole  body 
proceeded  on  its  march  to  the  residence  of  Seigneur 
Pontius  Pilate,  where  Genevieve  had  accompanied  her 
mistress  Aurelia  a  few  days  previous. 

The  sun  was  now  high  in  the  sky.  Attracted  by  the 
noise  of  the  struggle  between  Banaias  and  the  soldiers, 
a  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  had 
come  out  of  their  houses  and  followed  the  troop  of 
militiamen. 

The  residence  of  the  Roman  Governor  was  situated 
in  one  of  the  richest  quarters  of  the  city.  The  people 


ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE!  141 

who,  attracted  by  curiosity,  accompanied  Jesus,  so 
far  from  taking  pity  upon  him,  overwhelmed  him  with 
insults  and  hootings. 

"At  last!"  cried  out  some.  "The  Nazarene  who 
threw  our  city  into  commotion  and  alarm  is  caught! — " 

"The  seditious  fellow  strove  to  drive  the  beggars  to 
mutiny  against  the  rich  and  the  bourgeois ! — " 

"The  impious  villain  blasphemed  against  our  holy 
religion  in  every  address  that  he  delivered! — " 

"The  audacious  miscreant  sought  to  upturn  our 
families  by  glorifying  the  prodigal  and  debauched 
sons!"  shouted  one  of  the  two  emissaries  who  kept 
himself  near  the  skirts  of  the  troop. 

"The  infamous  scamp  tried  to  corrupt  our  wives/' 
cried  the  other  emissary,  ' '  by  glorifying  adultery !  He 
snatched  one  of  those  sinners,  a  shameless  woman,  from 
the  death  that  she  deserved ! ' ' 

"Thanks  be  to  the  Lord!"  added  a  money-changer. 
"If  the  Nazarene  is  put  to  death,  which  would  be  no 
more  than  just,  we  shall  be  able  to  set  up  again  our 
stalls  under  the  colonnade  of  the  Temple,  whence  the 
profanator  and  his  band  of  vagabonds  drove  us 
away! — " 

"What  fools  we  were  to  stand  in  fear  of  his  mob  of 
beggars  who  clung  around  him!"  exclaimed  still  an- 
other. "Not  one  of  the  lot  dared  resist  the  arrest  of 
the  Nazarene,  by  whose  name  they  had  been  continu- 
ously swearing — and  whom  they  called  their  friend!" 


!42  THE  SILVER  CROSS* 

"Let  short  work  be  made  of  the  abominable  inciter 
to  riot!  Crucify  him,  and  be  done  with  him! — " 

"Yes! — Yes! — Death  to  the  Nazarene!"  cried  the 
mob  that  surrounded  Genevieve. 

And  the  crowd,  that  was  steadily  swelling  in  num- 
bers, repeated  with  increasing  fury  the  ominous  cry : 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene!—" 

"Alas!"  said  the  slave  to  herself.  "Can  there  be 
any  lot  more  horrible  than  that  of  this  young  man — 
deserted  by  the  poor  whom  he  cherished,  hated  by  the 
rich  to  whom  he  preached  abnegation  and  charity! 
How  bitter  must  not  be  the  grief  that  tears  at  his 
heartstrings!" 

Ever  followed  by  the  mob,  the  body  of  militiamen 
arrived  in  front  of  the  residence  of  Pontius  Pilate. 
Several  chief  priests,  doctors  of  the  law,  Senators  and 
other  patricians,  among  whom  were  Caiaphas,  Doctor 
Baruch  and  the  banker  Jonas  had  joined  the  troop, 
and  now  marched  at  its  head. 

One  of  these  Pharisees  cried  out : 

"Seigneur,  let  us  go  in  to  Pontius  Pilate  and  demand 
of  him  the  immediate  sentence  of  death  upon  the 
Nazarene!" 

But  the  High  Priest  Caiaphas  answered  with  a 
pious  air: 

' '  My  seigneurs !  We  cannot  this  day  set  foot  in  the 
house  of  a  pagan.  Such  a  defilement  would  prevent  us 
from  eating  the  passover  to-day.  Are  we  to  violate 
our  religious  laws?"  1 

'John  18.28. 


ON,  TO  PONTIUS  PILATE!  143 

"  No ! ' '  exclaimed  Doctor  Baruch.  ' '  We  cannot  com- 
mit such  an  act  of  abominable  impiety!" 

"Do  you  hear  them?"  said  one  of  the  spies  in  ac- 
cents of  admiration.  "Do  you  hear  the  saintly  men? 
How  profound  their  respect  for  the  commandments  of 
our  religion! — Ah!  They  are  not  like  that  impious 
Nazarene,  who  mocks  and  utters  blasphemy  at  the  most 
sacred  things !  He  dared  to  say  that  the  Sabbath  need 
not  be  observed!" 

"Oh!  The  infamous  hypocrites!"  thought  Gene- 
vieve  to  herself.  "How  well  did  Jesus  know  them! 
How  right  he  was  to  unmask  them !  Just  look  at  them 
— afraid  to  defile  their  sanda.ls  by  stepping  into  the 
ho  ise  of  a  pagan  during  the  passover,  and  yet  they  do 
not  fear  to  defile  their  souls  by  demanding  of  the  same 
pagan  that  he  spill  the  blood  of  a  just  man  and  one  of 
their  own  countrymen,  at  that!  Oh!  Poor  young 
master  of  Nazareth!  They  will  make  you  pay  with 
your  life  for  your  courage  to  attack  the  wicked 
frauds!" 


CHAPTER  X. 
BEFOEE  PONTIUS  PILATE. 

The  officer  of  the  militiamen  entered  the  palace  of 
Pontius  Pilate,  leaving  the  escort  on  the  street  with 
the  prisoner  in  their  custody.  Genevieve  in  the  mean- 
time climbed  up  behind  a  wagon  that  was  hitched  to 
a  yoke  of  oxen  and  that  the  crowd  had  stopped.  From 
her  position  the  slave  commanded  a  full  view  of  the 
young  man  of  Nazareth. 

She  saw  him  standing  erect  in  the  center  of  the 
squad  of  soldiers,  with  his  hands  bound  behind  his 
back,  his  head  bare,  his  long  blonde  hair  falling  down 
over  his  shoulders,  his  looks  calm,  with  a  smile  of  resig- 
nation upon  his  lips.  He  contemplated  the  tumultu- 
ous and  threatening  crowd  with  a  sort  of  grieved  com- 
miseration, as  if  he  pitied  these  people  for  their  blind- 
ness and  iniquity.  From  all  sides  insults  were  hurled 
at  him.  Even  the  militiamen  treated  him  with  extreme 
brutality,  and  had  torn  almost  to  shreds  the  blue  man- 
tle that  he  wore  over  his  white  tunic.  To  all  these 
outrages  and  ill  treatment  Jesus  opposed  an  unalterable 
placidity.  Only,  from  time  to  time,  he  raised  his  eyes 
to  heaven.  But  Genevieve  did  not  see  the  least  sign 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  145 

of  impatience  or  the  slightest  sign  of  anger  betrayed 
upon  his  pale  and  beautiful  countenance. 
Suddenly  these  words  ran  over  the  crowd: 
"Here  comes  Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate! — " 
"He  will  now  pronounce  the  sentence  of  death  upon 
the  accursed  Nazarene — " 

"At  last  we  shall  see  him  crucified  on  Golgotha, 
where  the  criminals  are  executed — " 

In  fact,  Genevieve  soon  saw  Seigneur  Pontius 
Pilate  appear  at  the  door  of  his  house.  He  evi- 
dently had  been  roused  from  his  bed,  seeing  he  was 
wrapped  in  a  morning  robe.  His  hair  and  beard  were 
in  disorder.  His  red  and  swollen  eyes  seemed  dazzled 
by  the  rays  of  the  rising  sun.  He  had  hard  work  to 
suppress  his  yawns,  and  seemed  greatly  annoyed  at 
having  been  awakened  so  early  in  the  morning;  when, 
according  to  his  habit,  he  probably  had  prolonged  the 
previous  evening's  supper  far  into  the  small  hours  of 
the  night.  Accordingly,  addressing  Doctor  Baruch  in 
a  brusque  and  ill-natured  tone,  Pontius  Pilate  said  to 
him: 

"What  accusation  bring  you  against  this  man?" 
Doctor  Baruch  looked  hurt  at  the  brusqueness  and 
ill-nature  of  Pontius  Pilate,  and  answered  angrily: 

"If  he  were  not  a  malefactor,  we  would  not  have 
delivered  him  up  unto  you." 

Pontius  Pilate,  in  turn  offended  at  the  angry  tone  of 
Doctor  Baruch,  replied  testily: 


143  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

1 '  Very  well,  since  you  say  he  sinned  against  the  Law, 
take  him  and  try  him  according  to  your  own  Law. ' ' 

And  the  Governor  turned  his  back  upon  Doctor 
Baruch,  shrugging  his  shoulders,  and  withdrew  into  his 
house. 

For  a  moment  Genevieve  believed  the  young  man  of 
Nazareth  was  safe,  seeing  the  answer  of  Pontius  Pilate 
aroused  widespread  murmurs  among  the  crowd. 

"Just  like  the  Romans!"  said  some.  "All  they 
want  is  to  promote  disturbances  in  our  country,  in 
order  to  dominate  it  and  levy  increased  contribu- 
tions—" 

"That  Pontius  Pilate  seems  to  protect  the  accursed 
Nazarene! — " 

"As  for  me,  I  feel,  quite  sure  the  Nazarene  is  a 
secret  agent  of  the  Romans,"  put  in  one  of  the  spies. 
"They  ever  utilize  such  seditious  wretches  to  carry 
out  their  dark  projects! — " 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  about  it,"  answered  the 
other  spy;  "the  Nazarene  has  sold  himself  to  the 
Romans.  He  is  an  agent  provocateur. ' ' 

As  this  fresh  insult  fell  upon  the  ears  of  Jesus,  Gene- 
vieve saw  him  raise  his  eyes  to  heaven  with  a  distress- 
ful look,  while  the  mob  proceeded  to  repeat : 

"Yes!— Yes!— He  is  a  traitor!—" 

"He  is  an  agent  of  the  Romans! — " 

"Death  to  the  traitor!—1' 

"Death  to  the  spy!—" 

Doctor  Baruch  was  not  ready  to  let  slip  his  prey. 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  147 

Upon  seeing  Pontius  Pilate  withdraw  into  his  house,  he 
and  several  chief  priests  ran  after  him,  and  having  en- 
treated him  to  come  out  again,  they  led  him  forward 
amid  great  plaudits  from  the  mob. 

Seigneur  Pontius  Pilate  seemed  to  continue  the  inter- 
rogatory very  much  against  his  will.  He  again  asked 
Doctor  Baruch  impatiently,  pointing  at  Jesus : 

"What  accusation  bring  you  against  this  man?" 

The  doctor  of  the  law  answered  in  a  loud  voice : 

"This  man  stirs  up  the  people,  teaching  throughout 
all  Jewry,  beginning  from  Galilee  to  this  place." 

At  this  accusation  Genevieve  overheard  one  of  the 
spies  say  to  the  other  in  an  undertone : 

"Doctor  Baruch  is  a  sly  fox.  This  accusation 
amounts  to  a  charge  of  sedition.  He  will  thereby  com- 
pel the  Roman  Governor  to  find  the  Nazarene  guilty." 

Pontius  Pilate  having  beckoned  Jesus  to  approach, 
they  exchanged  a  few  words.  At  each  answer  made  by 
the  young  master  of  Nazareth  with  his  habitual  serenity 
and  dignity,  Pontius  Pilate  looked  more  and  more  con- 
vinced of  his  innocence.  Finally  he  resumed  aloud, 
addressing  the  chief  priests : 

"You  have  brought  this  man  unto  me,  as  one  that 
perverts  the  people;  and,  behold,  I,  having  examined 
him  before  you,  have  found  no  fault  in  this  man  touch- 
ing those  things  whereof  you  accuse  him.  I  do  not  deem 
him  worthy  of  death.  I  will  therefore  chastise  him 
and  release  him."1 

'John  18.29-31 ;  Luk«  23.14-16, 


148  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

And  smothering  a  last  yawn  he  made  a  sign  to  one 
of  his  servants,  who  left,  running. 

Not  satisfied  with  the  verdict  of  Pontius  Pilate,  the 
crowd  first  murmured,  and  then  broke  out  into  loud 
complaints. 

"It  was  not  merely  to  chastise  the  Nazarene  that  he 
was  brought  here,"  clamored  some,  "but  to  have  him 
sentenced  to  death! — " 

"After  he  is  chastised,  he  will  resume  his  seditious 
conduct  and  will  continue  to  stir  up  the  people! — " 

"We  do  not  ask  for  the  chastisement  of  Jesus,  but 
for  his  death! — " 

"Yes! — Yes!"  clamored  several  voices.  "Death! 
Death!" 

Pontius  Pilate  made  no  answer  to  these  clamors  and 
cries  except  to  shrug  his  shoulders,  and  he  went  in  once 
more. 

"If  the  Governor  is  convinced  of  the  innocence  of 
the  young  master,"  thought  Genevieve,  "why  chastise 
him  at  all?  That  is  at  once  cowardice  and  cruelty. — 
Perhaps  he  hopes  by  such  a  concession  to  allay  the 
wrath  of  the  enemies  of  Jesus. — Alas !  He  is  mistaken. 
He  can  appease  them  only  with  the  death  of  the  just 
man!" 

Hardly  had  Pilate  issued  the  orders  for  the  chastise- 
ment of  the  son  of  Mary  when  the  militiamen  seized 
him ;  tore  from  his  shoulders  the  last  remaining  shreds 
of  his  mantle ;  pulled  off  his  linen  and  his  woolen  tunic ; 
rolled  the  same  down  to  his  leather  girdle;  and  thus 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  149 

left  the  upper  part  of  his  body  bare.  They  then  bound 
him  fast  to  one  of  the  pillars  that  ornamented  the  en- 
trance of  the  Roman  Governor's  residential  palace. 

Jesus  offered  no  resistance ;  he  uttered  no  complaint. 
He  only  turned  his  celestial  countenance  towards  the 
crowd,  and  contemplated  the  same  in  sadness,  without 
seeming  to  hear  the  insults,  the  hootings  and  the  denun- 
ciations of  him,  that  increased  in  volume  and  bitter- 
ness. 

Someone  had  gone  for  the  city  executioner,  who 
was  to  administer  the  whipping  to  Jesus  with  switches. 
While  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  executioner,  the 
vociferations,  incited  by  the  emissaries  of  the  Pharisees, 
continued  unabated : 

"Pontius  Pilate  thinks  he  will  satisfy  us  by  having 
the  villain  scourged.  He  is  mistaken!"  said  some. 

"The  guilty  negligence  of  the  Roman  Governor," 
suggested  one  of  the  spies,  "shows  quite  clearly  that 
he  has  a  secret  understanding  with  the  Nazarene. — " 

"Oh!  my  friends — what  are  you  complaining 
about?"  came  from  a  third.  "Pontius  Pilate  is  grant- 
ing us  more  than  we  even  asked  for.  We  asked  only 
for  the  death  of  the  Nazarene.  Now  he  will  be  flogged 
before  being  put  to  death. — Glory  to  the  generous  Pon- 
tius Pilate!—" 

"Yes! — Yes! — He  is  bound  to  pronounce  the  death 
sentence.  We  shall  see  to  it  that  he  does  so  !— - 

"Ha! — Here  comes  the  executioner!"  cried  several 


150  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

voices.  "Here  is  the  executioner,  and  his  two  assist- 
ants.—" 

Genevieve  recognized  the  two  men,  who,  three  days 
before,  had  scourged  her  at  her  master's  house.  Tears 
involuntarily  welled  to  her  eyes  at  the  thought  that 
the  young  man,  who  was  all  love  and  mercifulness,  was 
about  to  undergo  the  ignominious  chastisement  re- 
served for  slaves. 

The  executioners  carried  under  their  arms,  each,  a 
bundle  of  hazel  switches,  long,  flexible  and  of  about  the 
thickness  of  a  thumb.  Each  executioner  took  one,  and, 
at  a  sign  given  by  Caiaphas,  the  strokes  began  to  rain, 
hard  and  thick,  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  young  man 
of  Nazareth.  Each  time  a  switch  broke,  a  fresh  one 
was  taken. 

At  first,  Genevieve  turned  her  face  away  from  the 
cruel  spectacle.  But  she  could  not  help  hearing  the 
ferocious  jests  of  the  mob,  which  could  not  but  be  an 
even  more  painful  suffering  to  the  son  of  Mary  than 
the  chastisement  itself. 

"You  who  said:  'Love  ye  one  another,'  you  accursed 
Nazarene!"  cried  several  voices,  "here  is  a  sample  of 
how  we  love  you! — " 

"You  who  said:  'Share  your  bread  and  your  cloak 
with  him  who  has  neither  bread  nor  cloak' — take  note, 
our  honest  executioners  follow  your  precepts — they 
share  their  switches  to  break  them  on  your  back ! — " 

"You  who  said  it  was  easier  for  a  hawser  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  151 

paradise,  don't  you  think  it  would  be  easier  to  go 
through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  to  escape  the  switches 
that  are  caressing  your  loins? — " 

"You  who  glorified  vagabonds,  thieves,  courtesans 
and  other  gallows-birds — no  doubt  you  loved  the  vil- 
lains!— .Well,  you  knew  that  some  day  you  would  be 
whipped  like  any  of  them! — " 

Jesus  emitted  not  a  cry ;  he  uttered  not  a  complaint. 
He  was  so  impassive  that  Genevieve  feared  he  had 
fainted  away  with  pain.  She  turned  her  face  anxiously 
towards  him. 

Alas !    Horrible  was  the  spectacle  that  met  her  eyes. 

The  young  master's  back  was  but  one  broad  bleeding 
wound,  broken  here  and  there  by  long  bluish  welts. 
Only  at  such  places  was  the  skin  not  cut.  Jesus  turned 
his  head  heavenward,  and  shut  his  eyes,  no  doubt  to 
escape  the  sight  of  the  pitiless  mob.  His  countenance, 
livid  and  bathed  in  perspiration,  revealed  horrible  suf- 
ferings as  each  fresh  flagellation  lashed  his  skin,  already 
cut  to  the  quick. — This  notwithstanding,  at  times  it 
was  noticeable  that  he  strove  to  smile  with  angelic 
resignation. 

The  chief  priests,  the  doctors  of  the  law,  the  Sena- 
tors and  all  the  rest  of  the  wicked  Pharisees  followed 
with  triumphant  and  greedy  eyes  the  process  of  the 
torture.  Among  the  most  eager  to  feast  upon  the  young 
man's  agony  were  Doctor  Baruch,  Caiaphas  and  the 
banker  Jonas.  The  executioners'  arms  began  to  tire. 
They  had  broken  almost  all  the  switches  of  their  bun* 


152  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

dies  on  the  back  of  Jesus.  They  questioned  Doctor 
Baruch  with  a  look,  as  if  to  ask  whether  it  was  not 
time  to  stop  the  torture.  But  the  dcetor  of  the  law 
cried : 

"No!     Use  up  your  switches,  to  the  very  last  one!" 

The  order  of  the  Pharisee  was  carried  out.  The  last 
switches  were  broken  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  young 
master,  bespattering  the  executioners'  faces  with  blood. 
It  no  longer  was  the  skin  that  they  flagellated — it  was 
a  bleeding  wound.  So  excessive  was  the  chastisement 
that,  despite  his  courage,  Jesus  fainted  away  ami 
dropped  his  head  with  a  dull  thud  upon  his  left  shoul- 
der. His  knees  beSit  under  him,  and  he  would  have 
fallen  to  the  ground  but  for  the  cords  that  held  him 
fast  by  the  waist  to  the  column  of  the  portico. 

After  having  ordered  the  chastisement  Pontius  Pilate 
had  again  withdrawn  into  his  house.  At  this  moment 
he  came  out  once  more,  and  ordered  the  executioners 
to  unbind  the  condemned  man.  They  unfastened  the 
cords  and  held  him  up.  One  of  them  threw  his  woolen 
tunic  over  his  shoulders.  The  contact  of  the  coarse 
material  with  the  quivering  flesh  caused  such  a  sharp 
pain  to  Jesus  that  a  tremor  ran  over  his  frame.  The  very 
excess  of  the  pain  recalled  him  to  consciousness.  He 
raised  his  head,  sought  to  steady  himself  upon  his  leg-}, 
opened  his  eyes,  and  cast  a  merciful  look  upon  the 
crowd. 

Pontius  Pilate,  believing  he  had  satisfied  the  hatred 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  153 

of  the  Pharisees,  said  to  the  crowd  after  Jesus  was  un- 
bound : 

"Behold  the  man!" 

With  these  words  he  motioned  his  officers  to  return 
into  the  house.  He  was  about  to  follow  them  when 
Caiaphas,  the  High  Priest,  after  taking  a  hurried 
council  with  Doctor  Baruch  and  the  banker  Jonas, 
cried  out  aloud,  holding  the  Governor  by  his  robe : 

"Seigneur  Pilate,  if  you  let  this  man  go,  you  are 
not  Caesar's  friend.  The  Nazarene  calls  himself  King. 
Whosoever  makes  himself  a  King,  speaks  against 
Caesar!" 

"Pontius  Pilate  will  now  fear  to  be  taken  for  a 
traitor  to  his  master  Tiberius,"  said  to  his  accomplice 
one  of  the  spies  who  stood  near  G-enevieve.  "He  will 
be  obliged  to  condemn  the  Nazarene." 

Whereupon  that  wicked  man  cried  out  aloud : 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene,  the  enemy  of  the  Emperor 
Tiberius,  protector  of  Judea ! ' ' 

"Yes! — Yes!"  answered  a  chorus  of  voices.  "The 
Nazarene  calls  himself  King  of  the  Jews! — " 

"He  means  to  overthrow  the  supremacy  of  Emperor 
Tiberius!—" 

"He  means  to  declare  himself  King  by  a  popular 
uprising  against  the  Romans,  our  friends,  our  protec- 
tors and  allies. — " 

"Answer  me  this  question.  Pontius  Pilate!"  cried 
one  of  the  spies  from  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  ''How 


154  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

does  it  happen  that  we  Hebrews  show  ourselves  more 
devoted  than  you  to  the  Emperor  your  master?" 

"How  does  it  happen,"  screamed  the  other  spy, 
"that  it  is  we,  the  Hebrews,  who  demand  the  death  of 
the  seditious  villain  who  aims  at  overthrowing  the 
authority  of  Borne,  while  you,  the  Governor  in 
Tiberius 's  name,  look  with  favor  upon  the  rebel  and 
inciter  to  rebellion  ? ' ' 

This  apostrophe  seemed  to  affect  Pilate  all  the  more, 
seeing  that  from  all  parts  of  the  crowd  the  cry  now 
resounded : 

"Yes!  Yes!  To  set  the  Nazarene  free  is  to  betray 
the  Emperor!" 

"Or,  perhaps  to  betray  a  secret  understanding  with 
the  rebel!" 

"Yes! — Is  Pontius  Pilate  his  accomplice?" 

Despite  his  possible  desire  to  save  the  young  man  of 
Nazareth,  Pilate  looked  more  and  more  troubled  at  the 
reproaches  that  issued  from  the  mob,  reproaches  that 
seemed  to  impeach  his  loyalty  to  Tiberius.  *  He 
stepped  towards  the  Pharisees,  spoke  with  them  in  a 
low  voice,  while  the  militiamen  kept  Jesus  safely  in 
their  midst  with  his  hands  pinioned  behind  him. 

Caiaphas  then  spoke  up  aloud,  addressing  Pontius 
Pilate  so  as  to  be  heard  by  the  whole  mob,  and  pointing 
at  Jesus ; 

"We  have  found  that  this  man  perverts  our  people, 
that  he  prevents  them  from  paying  tribute  to  Caesar* 


Before  CaiapJiai  gn<f  Pilate,  Dupln,  Br ;  p,  106, 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  155 

and  that  he  proclaims  himself  the  Bang  of  the  Jews, 
by  virtue  of  being  the  son  of  God." 

Pontius  Pilate  thereupon  turned  towards  the  young 
man  of  Nazareth  and  said : 

"Are  you  the  King  of  the  Jews?" 

"Do  you  say  this  thing  of  yourself?"  answered 
Jesus  in  a  voice  weakened  by  pain,  "or  did  others  tell 
it  you  of  me?" 

"The  chief  priests  and  the  Senators  have  delivered 
you  unto  me,"  answered  Pontius  Pilate.  "What  have 
you  done? — Do  you  pretend  to  be  the  King  of  the 
Jews?" 

Jesus  shook  his  head  gently  and  answered : 

"My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world — if  my  kingdom 
were  of  this  world,  then  would  my  friends  fight,  that  I 
should  not  be  delivered  to  you — but  I  repeat  to  you — 
my  kingdom  is  not  from  hence." 

Pilate  looked  again  at  the  Pharisees  as  if  taking 
themselves  to  witness  of  the  answer  that  Jesus  made, 
an  answer  that  spoke  him  guiltless,  seeing  that  he  pro- 
claimed his  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world. 

"His  kingdom,"  thought  Genevieve  to  herself,  "is 
surely  in  those  unknown  worlds  where,  as  our  druid 
faith  teaches  us,  we  shall  rejoin  those  whom  we  have 
loved  here.  How  can  they  venture  to  sentence  Jesus, 
as  a  rebel  to  the  Emperor,  he  who  has  so  often  said: 
'Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and 
unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's'?" 
But,  alas,  Genevieve  forgot  that  the  hatred  of  the 


15«  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Pharisees  was  implacable.  The  seigneurs  Baruch, 
Jonas  and  Caiaphas  having  again  spoken  in  a  low  voice 
to  Pontius  Pilate,  he  once  more  asked  Jesus : 

"Are  you  the  son  of  God — yes  or  no?" 

"Yes,"  answered  Jesus  in  his  sweet  and  firm  voice; 
"yes,  I  am." 

At  this  answer  the  priests,  the  doctors  and  Senators 
grew  indignant  and  uttered  loud  exclamations  which 
the  mob  promptly  echoed : 

"He  speaks  blasphemy! — " 

"He  says  he  is  the  son  of  God!"  yelled  one  of  the 
spies. 

"He  who  calls  himself  the  son  of  God  thereby  calls 
himself  the  King  of  the  Jews!" 

"He  is  an  enemy  of  the  Emperor ! — " 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene! — " 

"Sentence  him!—" 

"Order  him  crucified! — " 

Pontius  Pilate,  a  singular  mixture  of  cowardly 
weakness  and  of  equity,  wishing,  no  doubt,  to  make  a 
last  effort  to  save  Jesus,  addressed  the  crowd  saying 
that  it  was  the  custom  on  that  hotyday  to  set  a  criminal 
free,  and  that  the  people  would  now  have  to  choose  for 
this  act  of  clemency  between  a  prisoner  named  Barrabas 
and  Jesus,  who  already  had  been  whipped  with 
switches.  And  he  added : 

"Which  of  the  two  will  you,  therefore,  that  I  release 
unto  you — Jesus  or  Barrabas?" 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  157 

Genevieve  saw  the  agents  of  the  Pharisees  run  from 
group  to  group  among  the  mob,  saying : 

''Let  us  demand  the  release  of  Barrabas! — Let  us 
demand  the  release  of  Barrabas!" 

Soon  the  whole  mob  was  crying : 

".Release  Barrabas,  not  Jesus!" 

"But,"  replied  Pilate,  "what  shall  I  do  with 
Jesus?" 

"Crucify  him!"  came  from  thousands  of  throats. 

"Crucify  him!"  they  repeated. 

"But,"  Pontius  Pilate  still  objected,  "what  evil  has 
he  done?" 

' '  Crucify  him ! ' '  was  the  only  answer  that  came  from 
the  mob  that  grew  more  and  more  furious. 

"Crucify  him!—" 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene! — " 

Lacking  the  courage  to  protect  Jesus  whom  he  found 
innocent,  Pontius  Pilate  made  a  sign  to  one  of  his 
domestics.  The  man  ran  into  the  Governor's  house 
while  the  mob  cried  with  increasing  fury: 

"Crucify  the  Nazarene! — " 

"Crucify  him!—" 

Jesus,  ever  calm,  sad,  and  pensive,  seemed  a  stranger 
to  what  was  happening  around  him. 

"No  doubt,"  thought  Genevieve,  "his  thoughts  al- 
ready roam  in  those  mysterious  worlds  where  we  are 
re-born  when  we  depart  from  this  world." 

The  domestic  servant  of  Pontius  Pilate  returned, 
holding  a  silver  pitcher  in  one  hand  and  a  basin  in  the 


158  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

other.  A  second  domestic  servant  took  the  basin  and, 
as  the  first  servant  poured  water  into  it  out  of  the 
pitcher,  Pontius  Pilate  dipped  his  hands  in  the  water 
and  said  aloud: 

"I  am  innocent  of  the  blood  of  this  just  person.  See 
you  to  it.  As  for  me,  I  wash  my  hands  of  this  affair." 

"Let  the  blood  of  the  Nazarene  be  on  us!"  cried  one 
of  the  spies. 

"Yes!  Let  his  blood  be  on  us  and  on  our  chil- 
dren!" 

"Then,"  said  Pontius  Pilate,  "take  Jesus  and  crucify 
him  yourselves.  And  as  you  so  wish  it.  Barrabas  shall 
be  released."1 

Saying  this  Pontius  Pilate  went  into  his  house  fol- 
lowed by  the  loud  acclamations  of  the  mob,  while 
Caiaphas,  Doctor  Baruch,  the  banker  Jonas,  and  the 
other  now  triumphant  Pharisees  shook  their  fists  at 
Jesus. 

The  officer  in  command  of  the  squad  of  militiamen 
which  was  charged  to  arrest  the  son  of  Mary  in  the 
Garden  of  Olives,  approached  Caiaphas  and  re- 
marked : 

"Seigneur,  in  order  to  take  the  Nazarene  to  Golgo- 
tha, where  criminals  are  executed,  we  shall  have  to 
cross  the  crowded  quarter  of  the  Judicial  Gate.  It 
may  be  that  the  present  quietness  on  the  part  of  the 
partisans  of  the  rebel  is  only  in  seeming — and  that,  as 
soon  as  we  arrive  in  that  quarter  of  the  slums  they  will 

iJohn~l~9  12-lfi;  Luke  23.21-23; 

Matthew   27.1126;  Mark    15.9-12. 


BEFORE  PONTIUS  PILATE.  159 

rise  to  set  the  Nazarene  free.  I  answer  for  the  bravery 
of  my  good  militiamen.  Already  this  morning  they 
sustained  a  stubborn  fight,  and  put  to  flight  a  large 
gang  of  desperadoes  commanded  by  a  bandit  named 
Bana'ias,  who  insisted  that  we  release  Jesus.  Not  one 
of  the  rebels  escaped — despite  the  furious  resistance 
that  they  offered." 

''The  cowardly  liar!"  said  Genevieve  to  herself,  as 
she  heard  the  boastfulness  of  the  militiamen's  officer, 
who  proceeded : 

"Nevertheless,  Seigneur  Caiaphas,  despite  the  tried 
bravery  of  our  militia,  it  might  be  more  prudent  to  en- 
trust the  Roman  guard  with  the  duty  of  conveying  the 
Nazarene  to  the  place  of  execution." 

"I  think  so,  too,"  answered  the  High  Priest.  "I 
shall  request  one  of  the  officers  of  Pontius  Pilate  to  keep 
the  Nazarene  in  the  Praetorium  of  the  Roman  cohort 
until  the  hour  of  execution." 

While  the  High  Priest  proceeded  to  make  his  pro- 
posed arrangements  with  one  of  the  officers  of 
Pontius  Pilate,  Genevieve  saw  the  commander  of  the 
militiamen  step  towards  Jesus,  and  a  moment  later  she 
heard  him,  in  answer  to  some  words  spoken  by  the 
young  master,  say  to  him  mockingly : 

"You  seem  to  be  in  a  great  hurry  to  stretch  out  your 
limbs  upon  the  cross. — It  must  first  be  built,  and  that 
is  not  done  in  the  shake  of  a  lamb's  tail.  You  ought 
to  know  that  better  than  anyone  else,  since  you  are  a 
carpenter  yourself." 


160  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

The  officer  of  Pontius  Pilate,  with  whom  the 
High  Priest  had  just  been  speaking,  now  returned  to 
Jesus  and  said: 

"I  shall  take  you  to  the  Praetorium  of  our  soldiers. 
When  the  cross  is  ready  it  will  be  brought  there,  and 
you  will  thereupon  proceed  to  Calvary  under  our 
escort. — Now,  follow  me!" 


CHAPTER  XI. 
IN  THE  COURT  OF  THE  PRAETORIUM. 

Jesus,  still  pinioned,  was  conducted  by  the  militiamen 
to  a  near-by  hall  in  the  court  of  a  building  where  the 
Roman  soldiers  were  quartered.  The  door,  before  which 
a  sentinel  was  slowly  pacing,  stood  open.  Several  peo- 
ple, who,  like  Genevieve,  had  followed  the  Nazarene 
looked  in  from  the  street  to  see  what  happened  within. 

When  the  young  master  was  taken  to  the  court  of  the 
Praetorium — this  is  the  name  given  to  the  barracks  of 
the  Roman  soldiers — the  men  were  scattered  in  several 
groups  among  themselves.  Some  were  furbish- 
ing their  arms;  others  were  playing  at  a  variety 
of  games;  still  others  were  being  exercised  in 
the  use  of  the  lance  under  the  direction  of  an  officer; 
finally,  not  a  few  lay  stretched  out  on  the  benches  in 
the  sun,  and  sang,  or  chatted  together.  From  their 
faces,  bronzed  in  the  sun;  from  their  martial  and  sav- 
age bearing;  from  the  military  character  of  their 
weapons  and  their  raiment ; — from  all  these  tokens  the 
brave,  veteran  but  pitiless  soldiers  were  recognizable 
who  had  conquered  the  world,  leaving  behind  them  in 
their  wake  massacre,  spoliation  and  slavery. 


162  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

The  instant  the  Romans  heard  the  name  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  and  saw  him  brought  to  the  court  of  the 
Praetorium  by  one  of  their  officers,  all  dropped  their 
games,  and  ran  to  see  him. 

Genevieve  realized,  when  she  noticed  the  mocking 
and  hardened  mien  of  the  soldiery,  that  the  son  of 
Mary  was  about  to  undergo  fresh  outrages.  The  slave 
remembered  having  read  in  the  narratives,  left  to  her 
husband  Fergan  by  his  ancestors,  of  the  horrors  com- 
mitted by  the  soldiers  of  Caesar,  the  scourge  of  Gaul. 
She  made  no  doubt  but  that  the  men  who  now  sur- 
rounded the  youiig  master  were  as  cruel  as  those  of 
former  days. 

There  stood  in  the  very  center  of  the  court  of  the 
Praetorium  a  stone  bench  upon  which  the  Romans  im- 
mediately made  Jesus  sit  down,  with  his  hands  left 
pinioned  behind  his  back.  Thereupon,  planting  them- 
selves in  a  semi-circle  around  him,  they  began  to  mock 
and  insult  him  : 

"Look  at  the  famous  prophet!"  said  one  of  them. 
"Look  at  the  prophet  who  announced  that  the  day  will 
come  when  the  sword  will  be  turned  into  a  pruning 
hook,  and  there  will  be  no  more  war,  and  no  more  bat- 
tles!" 

"No  more  war?     By  brave  Mars,  no  more  war?" 
cried  several  soldiers,  deeply  indignant.     "Ha!     That* 
is  the  kind  of  stuff  that  you  prophesy,  is  it?    Prophet 
of  misfortune ! ' ' 

"Think  of  it,  no  more  war!     Which  means  to  say,  no 


IN    THE   COURT   OF    THE   PRAETORIUM.        163 

more  clarions,  no  more  floating  ensigns,  no  more  shining 
cuirasses,  no  more  casques  with  cockades  to  attract  the 
women ! ' ' 

"No  more  war!  Why  that  means  no  more  conquests, 
no  more  plunder,  no  more  rapes ! ' ' 

' '  What !  No  more  wiping  our  iron  spiked  shoes  upon 
the  heads  of  conquered  people ! ' ' 

'"'No  more  drinking  their  wine  while  making  love  to 
iheir  daughters — as  we  do  here — as  we  did  in  Gaul — as 
we  did  in  Britain — as  we  did  in  Spain — in  short,  as  we 
have  done  all  over  the  universe ! ' ' 

"No  more  war!  By  Hercules!  And  what  would 
become  of  the  strong  and  the  brave,  accursed  Naza- 
rene?  I  presume  you  would  have  them  plow  the  earth  . 
from  early  dawn  to  dusk,  or  spin  cloth  like  base  slaves, 
instead  of  dividing  their  time  between  battle,  idleness, 
the  tavern  and  love ! ' ' 

"You  who  cause  yourself  to  be  styled  the  son  of 
God,"  said  one  of  the  Romans,  shaking  his  fist  at  the 
young  master,  "you  must  be  the  son  of  God  Fear,  pol- 
troon that  you  are ! ' ' 

"You  who  now  cause  yourself  to  be  called  the  King 
of  the  Jews,  do  you  contemplate  having  yourself  ac- 
claimed the  King  of  all  the  cowards  in  the  universe!" 

"Comrades!"  cried  one  of  the  soldiers,  bursting  into 
uproarious  laughter.  "Since  he  is  King  of  the  pol-. 
troons,  he  should  be  crowned! — " 

The  suggestion  was  received  with  insulting  mirth, 
Several  voices  crfer1  out  on  the  spot  5 


164  THE  SILVER  CROSS- 

"Yes! — Yes! — Since  he  is  King  he  should  be  in- 
vested with  the  purple!" 

"We  must  put  a  scepter  in  his  hand — a  crown  on 
his  head — a  royal  mantle  on  his  shoulders!  Let  us 
glorify  him !  Let  us  render  homage  to  him  as  unto  our 
august  Emperor  Tiberius!" 

And  while  their  companions  continued  to  crowd 
around  and  to  insult  the  young  master  of  Nazareth, 
who  remained  indifferent  to  the  outrages  that  they 
heaped  upon  him,  several  of  the  soldiers  went  away. 
One  went  after  a  rider's  red  cloak,  a  second  in  search 
of  a  centurion's  cane,  a  third,  seeing  in  a  corner  a  heap 
of  brush,  destined  to  kindle  fire  with,  started  to  plat  a 
crown. 

Thereupon  several  voices  cried  out: 

"And  now,  let  us  proceed  to  the  coronation  of  the 
King  of  the  Jews!" 

"Yes!     Let  us  crown  the  King  of  the  Cowards!" 

"The  son  of  God!" 

"Friends,  the  coronation  must  be  done  with  pomp, 
as  if  he  were  a  veritable  Caesar!" 

"I  am  the  crown-bearer!" 

"I  the  scepter-bearer!" 

"I  the  bearer  of  the  imperial  mantle!" 

And  in  the  midst  of  hootings  and  coarse  jests,  the 
Romans  formed  themselves  into  a  sort  of  mock  proces- 
sion. 

The  crown-bearer  marched  first,  holding  aloft  the 
crown  of  thorns  with  a  solemn  air  arid  followed  by  sev- 


IN    THE    COURT   OF    THE    PRAETORIUM.        165 

oral  soldiers.  Next  came  the  scepter-bearer,  also  fol- 
lowed by  a  suite  of  soldiers.  Last  came  the  one  who 
held  the  mantle. 

And  all  sang  in  chorus: 

"Hail  to  the  King  of  the  Jews!—" 

"Hail  to  the  Messiah!—" 

"Hail  to  the  Son  of  God !— " 

"Hail  to  the  Caesar  of  the  poltroons — hail! — " 

Meekly  seated  on  the  stone  bench  Jesus  looked  at  the 
preparations  for  the  insulting  ceremony  with  unalter- 
able serenity. 

The  crown-bearer  was  the  first  to  approach  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth ;  he  raised  the  thorny  braid  over  his 
head,  and  said : 

"I  crown  thee,  O,  King!" 

And  the  Roman  slammed  the  crown  so  brutally  upon 
the  head  of  Jesus  that  the  thorns  lacerated  his  forehead. 
Thick  drops  of  blood  flowed  like  bloody  tears  down  the 
face  of  the  victim.  But,  excepting  the  first  involun- 
tary quiver,  caused  by  the  pain,  the  features  of  the 
young  master  preserved  their  habitual  meekness,  and 
betrayed  neither  resentment  nor  anger. 

"And  I  invest  thee  with  the  imperial  purple,  O, 
King!"  added  the  next  Roman,  while  one  of  his  com- 
panions tore  away  the  tunic  that  had  been  thrown  over 
the  lacerated  back  and  shoulders  of  Jesus.  No  doubt 
the  wool  of  the  garment  had  already  stuck  to  the  liv- 
ing flesh.  When  it  was  violently  torn  off  the  shoulders 
of  Jesus  he  uttered  a  deep  cry  of  pain.  But  that  was 


166  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

all.  He  quietly  suffered  himself  to  be  clad  in  the  red 
mantle. 

"And,  now,  grasp  thy  scepter,  0,  great  King!"  said 
the  third  Roman,  kneeling  down  before  the  young  mas- 
ter, and  placing  in  his  hand  the  centurion's  vine- 
stock. 

Thereupon  all  shouted  in  chorus  amid  great  roars  of 
laughter : 

"Hail,  0,  King  of  the  Jews,  hail!" 

A  large  number  of  them  went  even  so  far  as  to  kneel 
down  before  him  in  mockery  while  they  repeated : 

"Hail,  O,  great  King!" 

Jesus  held  in  his  hand  the  mock  scepter  and  uttered 
not  a  word.  Such  imperturbable  resignation  and  an- 
gelic sweetness  at  first  struck  the  Romans  so  forcibly 
that  they  remained  stupefied.  But  speedily  their  rage 
boiled  at  the  young  master's  display  of  patience,  and 
they  vied  with  one  another  to  irritate  him,  crying : 

"It  is  not  a  man;  it  is  a  statue! — " 

"All  the  blood  he  had  in  his  veins  has  flowed  out 
under  the  switches  of  the  executioners! — " 

"The  coward!    He  dares  not  even  complain! — " 

"Coward?"  said  a  veteran  with  a  thoughtful  mien 
after  having  long  contemplated  Jesus,  although  he  was 
himself,  at  first,  one  of  his  bitter  tormentors.  "No! 
That  man  is  no  coward.  No,  in  order  to  endure 
patiently  all  that  we  have  made  him  suffer,  it  requires 
more  courage  than  to  rush  head  down  and  sword  iq 


IN   THE   COURT   OF   THE  PRAETORIUM.        167 

hand  upon  the  enemy. — No,"  he  repeated  stepping 
aside,  "no,  that  man  is  no  coward!" 

And  Genevieve  believed  she  saw  a  tear  roll  down 
upon  the  grey  moustache  of  the  old  soldier. 

The  other  Romans,  however,  sneered  at  the  compas- 
sion of  their  comrade  and  cried : 

"He  does  not  perceive  that  this  Nazarene  affects 
resignation  in  order  to  inspire  us  with  sympathy. ' ' 

"That's  so !  Within  he  is  all  rage  and  hatred,  while 
externally  he  shows  himself  kind  and  patient. ' ' 

"He  is  a  slinking  tiger,  covered  with  a  lamb's  skin." 

At  these  words  Jesus  merely  smiled  sadly  and  shook 
his  head.  The  movement  caused  a  spray  of  blood  to 
rain  down  around  him,  seeing  that  the  wounds  cut  into 
his  forehead  by  the  thorns  were  still  bleeding. 

At  the  sight  of  the  blood  of  that  just  man,  Gene- 
vieve could  not  help  murmuring  to  herself  the  refrain 
of  the  song  of  the  Sons  of  the  Mistletoe — 

Oh,  flow,  flow,  thou  blood  of  the  captive! 

Drop,  drop,  thou  dew  of  gore! 

Germinate,  Bprout  up,  thou  avenging  harvest! 

Hasten,  you  mower,  it  is  ripe! 

Whet  your  scythe,  whet  it — 

Whet  your  scythe! 

"Oh!"  thought  Genevieve,  "the  blood  of  this  inno- 
cent man,  of  this  martyr,  who  has  been  so  shamefully 
deserted  by  his  friends,  by  that  mass  of  poor  and  op- 
pressed people  whom  he  loved — that  blood  will  surely 
fall  upon  them  and  their  children. — May  it  also  fruc- 
tify the  bloody  crop  of  vengeance!" 


168  THE  SILVER  CROSS* 

Exasperated  by  the  celestial  patience  of  Jesus,  the 
Roman  soldiers  were  at  their  wits'  end  to  overcome  it. 
Insults  and  threats  being  unable  to  shake  it,  one  of  the 
soldiers  pulled  out  of  his  hands  the  vine-stock  which  he 
still  calmly  held,  and  broke  it  over  his  head,  crying : 

"This  may  make  you  give  some  sign  of  life,  statue 
of  flesh  and  bone!" 

But  Jesus,  having  first  bowed  his  aching  head  under 
the  blow,  raised  it  again  and  cast  a  look  of  forgive- 
ness upon  the  man  who  had  struck  him. 

Undoubtedly  this  ineffable  sweetness  must  have 
either  intimidated  or  embarrassed  the  barbarians.  One 
of  them  untied  his  own  scarf,  bandaged  the  eyes  of  t£e 
young  master  of  Nazareth  and  said  to  him : 

"0,  great  King,  your  respectful  subjects  are  un- 
worthy to  bear  your  looks ! ' ' 

The  eyes  of  Jesus  being  thus  bandaged,  a  thought  of 
savage  cowardice  struck  one  of  the  Romans.  He  ap- 
proached his  victim,  smote  him  on  the  face,  and  said 
with  a  peal  of  laughter : 

"0,  great  prophet,  now  tell  us  the  name  of  the  one 
who  struck  you!" 

A  horrible  sport  began  thereupon. 

Those  robust  and  armed  men  walked  up  in  turn,  one 
after  the  other,  laughing  their  loudest,  and  smote  the 
face  of  the  young  pinioned  man,  broken  by  so  many 
tortures.  As  each  one  smote  the  face  of  Jesus  he 
shouted : 

' '  Can  you  guess  this  time  who  struck  you  ? ' ' 


IN   THE   COURT   OF    THE   PRAETORIUM.        169 

Jesus — and  these  were  the  only  words  that  Gene- 
vieve heard  him  utter  during  that  protracted  martyr- 
dom— Jesus  exclaimed  in  a  merciful  voice,  raising 
heavenward  his  bandaged  face : 

"Oh!  Lord,  my  God — pardon  them — they  know  not 
what  they  do!" 

That  was  the  single  and  tender  wail  that  the  victim 
uttered — and  it  was  not  even  a  wail — it  was  a  prayer 
that  he  addressed  to  the  gods,  imploring  their  pardon 
for  his  tormentors,  who  knew  not  what  they  were 
doing ! 

So  far  from  being  appeased  by  such  divine  meek- 
ness, the  Romans  redoubled  their  acts  of  violence  and 
outrages. 

The  most  infamous  ones  among  them  spat  in  the  face 
of  Jesus. 

Genevieve  would  not  have  been  able  longer  to  en- 
dure the  sight  of  these  monstrosities  if  it  had  not 
pleased  the  gods  to  put  an  end  to  them.  A  great  uproar 
was  heard  from  the  side  of  the  street,  and  she  saw 
Doctor  Baruch,  the  banker  Jonas  and  the  High  Priest 
Caiaphas  drawing  near.  Two  men  behind  them  car- 
ried a  heavy  cross  considerably  larger  than  a  man's 
size.  At  the  sight  of  the  instrument  of  death,  the  peo- 
ple who  had  crowded  outside  of  the  door,  and  among 
whom  was  Genevieve,  cried  out  triumphantly : 

"At  last!—" 

"Here  is  the  cross! — 

"Here  is  the  cross! — " 


170  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"A  spick  and  span  brand  new  cross! — " 

"A  cross  worthy  of  a  King! — " 

When  the  Romans  heard  the  announcement  that  the 
cross  was  coming,  they  seemed  vexed  at  the  prospect 
of  their  victim's  escaping  them. 

Jesus,  on  the  contrary,  when  he  heard  the  cries  of: 
"Here  comes  the  cross!"  "Here  comes  the  cross!" 
rose  from  his  stone  bench  with  a  kind  of  relief,  no 
doubt  anxious  to  depart  soon  as  possible  from  this 
world. 

The  soldiers  unbandaged  his  eyes  and  removed  the 
red  mantle  from  his  shoulders,  leaving  only  the  crown 
of  thorns  upon  his  head.  Thus  he  remained  half 
naked.  In  this  condition  he  was  taken  to  the  door  of 
the  Praetorium,  where  stood  the  men  who  had  brought 
the  cross. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
GOLGOTHA. 

In  their  still  unglutted  hatred,  Doctor  Baruch,  the 
banker  Jonas,  and  the  High  Priest  Caiaphas  exchanged 
looks  of  triumph  among  themselves  as  they  pointed  to 
the  young  master  of  Nazareth  standing  before  them 
pale  and  bleeding,  and  whose  strength  seemed  about 
exhausted.  The  pitiless  Pharisees  could  not  resist  the 
cruel  delight  of  heaping  some  fresh  insults  upon  their 
victim. 

The  banker  Jonas  said  to  him: 

"Audacious  fraud,  now  you  see  what  abusing  the 
rich  leads  to !  You  have  now  stopped  mocking  them, 
I  notice!  You  no  longer  compare  them  to  hawsers, 
incapable  of  passing  through  a  needle's  eye!  It  is  a 
pity  your  taste  for  satire  is  all  gone!" 

"Are  you  now  satisfied,"  put  in  Doctor  Baruch, 
"with  having  spoken  of  the  doctors  of  the  law  as 
cheats  and  hypocrites,  who  like  to  have  the  upper  seats 
at  feasts?  They,  at  least,  will  not  dispute  your  place 
on  the  cross!" 

"And  the  priests!"  added  Caiaphas.  "They  also 
were  a  lot  of  frauds  who  devoured  widows'  houses  and 
for  a  pretence  made  long  prayers — hardened  men.  more 
merciless  than  the  heathen  Samaritans — a  lot  of  dull- 
ards, narrow-minded  enough  to  observe  the  Sabbath 


172  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

piously — proud  fellows,  who  caused  trumpets  to  be 
sounded  before  them  in  order  to  proclaim  the  alms 
that  they  gave ! — You  thought  yourself  well  entrenched ! 
You  struck  a  bold  poise  at  the  head  of  your  band  of 
beggars,  skip- jacks  and  prostitutes,  whom  you  recruited 
in  the  taverns,  where  you  spent  your  days  and  nights ! 
Where  are  all  your  partisans  now?  What  has  become 
of  them?  Why  do  you  not  summon  them  to  your 
help?  Let  them  come  to  your  deliverance!" 

The  hatred  of  the  mob  was  less  patient  than  that  of 
the  Pharisees,  who  delighted  in  slowly  torturing  their 
victim.  Furious  cries  soon  burst  all  restraint: 

"Death!—" 

"Death  to  the  Nazarene!— " 

"Hurry  up!— " 

"Do  they  mean  to  afford  him  a  chance  of  escape  by 
delaying  his  execution! — 

"He  will  not  expire  the  instant  he  is  nailed  to  the 
cross! — " 

"No!  There  will  be  plenty  of  time  to  chat  with 
him  after  that  is  done! — 

"Yes!    Hurry  up!—" 

"His  band  of  criminals  may  have  been  scared  only 
for  a  moment! — " 

"Yes!  And  they  may  regain  courage  and  try  to 
take  him  away  from  us! — " 

"Anyhow,  what  is  the  sense  of  addressing  him?  It 
is  clear  that  he  does  not  mean  to  answer! — " 


GOLGOTHA.  173 

"Death!—" 

''To  death!     To  death!—" 

"And  he  shall  himself  carry  his  cross  all  the  way  to 
the  place  of  execution! — " 

The  proposition  of  this  fresh  barbarity  was  received 
with  general  applause.  Jesus  was  taken  out  of  the 
Praetorium  court,  and  the  cross  was  laid  upon  one  of 
his  bleeding  shoulders.  So  sharp  was  the  pain,  and 
the  weight  of  the  cross  so  heavy,  that  the  unhappy 
young  man's  knees  for  a  moment  faltered  under  him, 
and  he  was  about  to  fall  to  the  ground.  But  draw- 
ing fresh  strength  from  his  own  courage  and  resigna- 
tion, he  seemed  to  steel  himself  against  weakness  and 
pain,  and,  bent  under  his  burden,  he  peacefully  com- 
menced his  march. 

The  mob  at  his  heels,  together  with  the  escort  of 
Roman  soldiers,  cried  out  aloud: 

"Room  there!" 

"Room  for  the  triumphal  march  of  the  King  of  the 
Jews!" 

The  mournful  procession  started  for  the  place  of 
execution,  which  was  situated  outside  of  the  Judicial 
Gate.  It  soon  left  the  rich  quarter  of  the  Temple 
behind  it,  and  proceeded  on  its  route  through  a  less 
wealthy  and  much  more  populous  part  of  the  city.  In 
the  measure  that  the  procession  entered  the  quarter  of 
the  poor,  Jesus  began  to  receive  at  least  some  tokens 
of  interest. 


174  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

Genevieve  saw  a  large  number  of  women  standing 
at  their  doors,  who  lamented  the  fate  of  the  young 
master  of  Nazareth.  They  remembered  that  he  was 
the  friend  of  the  poor  and  of  the  little  children.  Many 
of  these  innocents  wept  and  threw  kisses  to  the  good 
Jesus,  whose  simple  and  touching  parables  they  knew 
by  heart. 

But,  alas!  Almost  at  every  step,  overcome  with 
pain  and  crushed  under  the  weight  that  he  carried, 
the  son  of  Mary  stumbled  and  stopped.  Finally, 
strength  wholly  failing  him,  he  fell  upon  his  knees, 
then  on  his  hands,  and  his  forehead  struck  the  ground. 

Genevieve  thought  he  was  dead  or  dying;  she  could 
not  repress  a  cry  of  grief  and  terror;  but  he  was  not 
dead.  His  martyrdom  and  agony  were  destined  to  be 
still  prolonged. 

The  Roman  soldiers  of  his  escort,  as  well  as  the 
Pharisees,  cried  out  to  him  : 

"Stand  up!" 

"Stand  up,  lazy  fellow!" 

"Rise!  You  are  only  pretending  to  faint,  in  order 
to  escape  carrying  your  cross  to  the  place  of  execu- 
tion!" 

"You  reproached  the  chief  priests  with  binding  upon 
the  backs  of  men  burdens  too  heavy  to  bear,  but  which 
they  themselves  would  not  touch  with  their  fingers," 
said  Doctor  Baruch,  "and  here  you  are  doing  no  bet- 
ter than  you  blamed  others  for  doing — refusing  to 
carry  your  cross!" 


GOLGOTHA.  175 

Jesus,  still  upon  his  knees  and  his  forehead  bent 
towards  the  ground,  helped  himself  with  his  two  hands 
to  rise,  which  he  finally  succeeded  in  doing  with  great 
effort.  Then,  still  staggering,  he  waited  for  the  cross 
to  be  placed  back  upon  his  shoulders.  But  hardly  was 
his  burden  laid  upon  him  anew,  when,  despite  his  cour- 
age and  good  will,  he  succumbed  and  fell  down  a  sec- 
ond time  all  of  a  heap. 

' '  Come ! ' '  cried  out  the  Roman  officer,  brutally.  ' '  He 
is  pretending!" 

"Seigneur  Baruch!"  cried  one  of  the  spies,  who, 
like  the  Pharisees,  had  not  quitted  their  victim,  "do 
you  see  that  man,  yonder,  in  a  brown  mantle,  who  is 
passing  so  quickly,  turning  his  head  away,  as  if  he 
desired  not  to  be  recognized  ?  I  have  often  seen  him  at 
the  meetings  of  the  Nazarene.  Suppose  we  make  him 
carry  the  cross!" 

' '  Yes ! "  said  Baruch.     ' '  Call  him ! " 

"Halloa,  there,  Simon!"  cried  the  emissary. 
"Halloa,  there,  Simon  the  Cyrenean!  You  took  part 
in  the  sermonizings  of  the  Nazarene,  now  come  and 
take  part  in  carrying  his  burden!" 

No  sooner  had  this  man  called  Simon,  than  several 
voices  in  the  mob  joined  him: 

"Halloa,  there,  Simon!—" 

"Simon!—" 

At  first,  when  summoned  by  the  spy,  Simon  had  has- 
tened his  pace  as  if  he  did  not  hear;  when,  however, 
a  large  number  of  voices  began  to  call  his  name,  he 


176  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

turned  back,  walked  toward  the  spot  where  Jesus  lay, 
and  approached  with  a  troubled  mien. 

"We  are  going  to  crucify  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whose 
preachings  you  liked  to  hear  so  well,"  said  the  banker 
Jonas  to  him,  jeeringly ;  "he  is  your  friend.  You  surely 
will  not  refuse  to  help  him  carry  his  cross?" 

"I  shall  carry  it  all  alone,"  answered  the  Cyrenean, 
who  now  mustered  up  courage  enough  to  cast  a  look 
of  pity  at  the  young  master,  who,  still  recumbent  upon 
his  knees,  seemed  ready  to  faint. 

Having  taken  charge  of  the  cross,  Simon  marched 
ahead  of  Jesus,  and  the  procession  resumed  its  way. 

About  a  hundred  steps  further,  at  the  entrance  of 
the  street  that  led  to  the  Judicial  Gate,  and  passing 
before  the  shop  of  a  dealer  in  woolen  goods,  Genevieve 
saw  a  woman  of  venerable  aspect  step  out.  At  the 
sight  of  Jesus,  pale,  broken  and  bleeding,  the  woman 
could  not  repress  her  tears.  It  was  only  then  that  the 
slave,  who  had  so  far  forgotten  that  she  might  be 
hunted  for  by  orders  of  her  master,  Seigneur  Gremion, 
recalled  the  address  given  to  her  by  her  mistress.  Aure- 
lia,  on  the  part  of  Joanna,  telling  her  that  Veronica,  her 
nurse,  who  kept  a  shop  near  the  Judicial  Gate,  could 
give  her  a  temporary  asylum,  where  she  would  be  safe. 

But  Genevieve  thought  not  at  that  moment  of  her 
own  safety.  An  invincible  power  held  her  fast  to  the 
steps  of  the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  whom  she 
wished  to  follow  to  the  end.  She  saw  Veronica  in  tears 
approach  Jesus,  whose  face  was  bathed  in  a  bloody 


GOLGOTHA.  1T7 

sweat,  and  wipe  with  a  linen  napkin  the  visage  of  the 
poor  martyr,  who  thanked  Veronica  with  a  smile  of 
celestial  kindness. 

Several  steps  further,  and  still  on  the  same  street 
that  led  to  the  Judicial  Gate,  Jesus  passed  before  sev- 
eral women  who  bewailed  and  lamented  him.  He 
stopped  for  a  moment  and  said  to  those  women  in  an 
accent  of  profound  sadness: 

"Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but  weep 
for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children;  for,  behold,  the 
days  are  coming  in  which  they  shall  say,  Blessed  are 
the  barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never  bare,  and  the 
paps  which  never  gave  suck!" 

And,  although  broken  with  suffering,  drawing  him- 
self up  with  an  inspired  air,  his  features  stamped  with 
heart-rending  grief  as  if  conscious  of  the  frightful  mis- 
fortunes that  he  foresaw,  Jesus  cried  out  in  a  prophetic 
tone  that  made  even  the  Pharisees  themselves  tremble : 

"Yes,  for,  behold,  the  days  are  coming  when  in  their 
horror  men  will  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall 
on  us ;  and  to  the  hills,  Cover  us ! m 

And  dropping  his  head  upon  his  breast,  Jesus  pain- 
fully pursued  his  march  amidst  the  silence  of  stupor 
and  dread  that  followed  those  prophetic  words.  The 
procession  proceeded  up  the  steep  street  that  led  to 
the  Judicial  Gate  under  which  you  pass  to  ascend  Gol- 
gotha, a  hill  that  lies  outside  of  the  city  and  on  the 

'Luke    23.28-30. 


178  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

top  of  which  the  crosses  of  condemned  criminals  are 
raised. 

Genevieve  noticed  that  the  mob,  at  first  so  cowardly 
hostile  to  Jesus,  began,  as  the  hour  of  execution  drew 
near,  to  feel  moved  to  bemoan  the  lot  of  the  victim. 
The  unfortunate  people  undoubtedly  understood,  but, 
alas !  too  late,  that  by  suffering  the  friend  of  the  poor 
to  be  done  to  death,  not  only  were  they  about  to  be 
deprived  of  a  defender,  but  their  shameful  ingratitude 
might  have  for  its  consequence  to  dishearten  those  who 
would  otherwise  have  been  inclined  to  continue  the 
work  of  the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  and  devote 
themselves  to  the  poor  and  afflicted. 

After  the  procession  passed  under  the  vault  of  the 
Judicial  Gate  it  began  to  ascend  Mount  Calvary.  The 
ascent  was  so  steep  that  more  than  once  was  Simon 
the  Cyrenean,  who  still  carried  the  cross  of  Jesus,  as 
well  as  the  young  master  himself,  compelled  to  stop 
for  rest. 

Jesus  seemed  to  have  preserved  hardly  strength 
enough  to  reach  the  top  of  that  barren  ridge,  that  Avas 
littered  with  rolling  stones,  and  on  which  here  and 
there  grew  briars  and  a  few  stunted  bushes  of  a  pale 
green. 

The  sky  was  now  overcast  with  thick  clouds.  A 
somber  and  lugubrious  day  threw  a  pall  of  sadness 
upon  all  things  around. 

To  her  great  surprise  Genevieve  observed  towards 
the  summit  of  Calvary  two  other  crosses  already 


GOLGOTHA.  179 

erected,  besides  the  one  that  was  to  be  erected  for 
Jesus,  the  young  master  of  Nazareth.  In  her  surprise, 
she  inquired  from  a  man  in  the  crowd  what  the  pur- 
pose of  those  two  other  crosses  was. 

' '  The  two  crosses, ' '  she  was  answered,  ' '  are  intended 
for  the  thieves,  who  are  to  be  crucified  together  with 
the  Nazarene." 

' '  And  why  are  the  thieves  to  be  crucified  at  the  same 
time  as  the  young  master?"  inquired  the  slave. 

"Because  the  Pharisees,  men  of  justice,  wisdom,  and 
piety,  wished  that  the  Nazarene  be  accompanied  unto 
death  by  the  sort  of  wretches  with  whom  he  associated 
in  life." 

Genevieve  turned  around  and  looked  into  the  face  of 
the  man  from  whom  this  explanation  came.  She  rec- 
ognized one  of  the  two  spies. 

"Oh!  The  merciless  men!"  thought  the  slave. 
"They  find  means  to  outrage  Jesus  even  unto  death." 

When  the  Roman  soldiers  who  escorted  the  young 
master  arrived  at  the  summit  of  Mount  Calvary,  fol- 
lowed by  the  now  more  and  more  silent  and  pitying 
mob,  besides  Doctor  Baruch,  the  banker  Jonas  and  the 
High  Priest  Caiaphas,  all  the  three  anxious  to  assist 
at  the  agony  and  death  of  their  victim,  Genevieve  saw 
the  two  thieves  who  were  destined  for  execution  at  the 
same  time  as  the  young  master.  Surrounded  by  their 
guards,  they  stood  pinioned  and  ashy  pale,  and  awaited 
death  with  a  terror  mixed  with  wrath  and  impotent 
rage. 


180  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

At  a  sign  from  the  Roman  officer  in  command  of  the 
escort,  the  executioners  took  down  the  two  crosses 
from  the  holes  into  which  they  had  been  temporarily 
stuck,  and  laid  them  down  flat  upon  the  ground.  The 
soldiers  then  seized  the  two  criminals,  and  despite  their 
loud  cries,  blasphemies  and  desperate  resistance,  strip- 
ped them  of  their  clothes  and  stretched  them  out  upon 
the  two  crosses.  While  the  soldiers  held  the  two  thieves 
down,  the  executioners,  equipped  with  long  nails  and 
heavy  hammers,  nailed  fast  upon  the  crosses  by  their 
hands  and  feet  the  wretched  men,  who  uttered  piercing 
cries  of  pain.  By  means  of  this  refinement  of  bar- 
barity the  young  master  of  Nazareth  was  made  to  taste 
in  advance  the  bitter  fate  that  he  was  soon  to  undergo 
himself.  Indeed,  at  the  sight  of  the  torments  experi- 
enced by  his  two  companions  in  punishment,  Jesus 
could  not  repress  his  tears.  He  raised  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  and  then  hid  his  face  in  his  hands  to  keep 
away  the  painful  spectacle. 

So  soon  as  the  two  thieves  were  nailed  down,  the 
crosses  on  which  they  writhed  and  moaned  were  raised, 
were  replaced  into  the  ground  and  steadied  with  stones 
and  stakes. 

"Come,  now,  Nazarene,"  said  one  of  the  execution- 
ers to  Jesus,  stepping  to  the  young  master,  and  holding 
his  heavy  hammer  in  one  hand  and  several  long,  strong 
nails  in  the  other.  "Come,  now,  are  you  ready?  Shall 
we  have  to  use  force  with  you  also,  as  we  had  to  do 
with  your  friends?" 


GOLGOTHA  181 

"I  don't  know  what  they  have  to  complain  of," 
stolidly  remarked  the  other  executioner;  "one  lies  so 
comfortably  on  a  cross  with  one's  arms  stretched  out, 
like  a  man  who  stretches  out  his  limbs  after  a  long 
sleep!" 

Jesus  made  no  answer.  He  removed  his  clothes, 
placed  himself  upon  his  instrument  of  death,  extended 
his  arms  over  the  crossbeams,  and  looked  up  to  heaven 
with  his  eyes  bathed  in  tears. 

Genevieve  then  saw  the  two  executioners  kneel  down 
on  either  side  of  the  master  and  take  up  their  hammers 
and  nails.  The  slave  shut  her  eyes,  but  she  could 
hear  the  dull  strokes  of  the  hammers  as  they  drove  the 
nails  into  the  quivering  flesh,  while  the  two  thieves 
continued  rending  the  air  with  pitiful  cries  of  pain. 
The  sound  of  the  hammer  strokes  ceased.  Genevieve 
opened  her  eyes.  The  cross  to  which  the  young  mas- 
ter of  Nazareth  had  been  nailed  was  raised  and  set 
up  between  the  crosses  of  the  other  two  crucified  men. 

Jesus,  his  brow  crowned  with  thorns,  his  long  blonde 
hair  matted  and  glued  to  his  temples  by  sweat  mixed 
with  blood,  his  face  livid  and  bearing  the  stamp  of 
ominous  suffering,  and  his  lips  turning  bluish,  seemed 
+o  be  on  the  point  of  expiring.  With  the  weight  of  his 
whole  body  resting  on  his  two  hands  nailed  to  the 
cross,  as  well  as  upon  his  feet,  from  which  drops  of 
blood  trickled  down,  his  arms  suddenly  stiffened  in 
convulsive  paroxisms,  while  his  half-bent  knees 
against  each  other. 


182  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

At  that  moment  the  almost  dying  voice  of  the  two 
thieves  reached  Genevieve's  ears  as  they  addressed 
themselves  to  Jesus: 

"A  curse  upon  you — Nazarene! — A  curse  upon  you — 
you  who  told  us  that  the  first  would  be  last  and  the 
last  first!  Here  we  are — crucified! — what  can  you  now 
do  for  us?" 

"A  curse  upon  you  who  promised  consolation  to  the 
afflicted!"  responded  the  other  thief.  "Here  we  are 
crucified — where  is  our  consolation?" 

"A  curse  upon  you  who  told  us  that  only  the  sick 
need  the  physician! — We  are  sick — sorely  sick — where 
is  our  physician?" 

"A  curse  upon  you  who  told  us  that  the  good  shep- 
herd would  leave  his  flock  to  seek  for  a  single  lamb 
gone  astray! — We  went  astray,  and  you  leave  us  in 
the  hands  of  the  executioners!" 

Nor  were  those  wretches  the  only  ones  to  insult  the 
agony  of  Jesus.  Horrible  to  say,  and  hardly  believable 
by  Genevieve  herself  at  the  hour  when  she  writes  this 
account,  Doctor  Baruch,  the  banker  Jonas,  and  Caia- 
phas  the  Prince  of  the  Church,  vied  with  one  another 
in  mockeries  and  objurgations,  hurled  at  the  young 
man  of  Nazareth  at  the  moment  when  he  was  about 
to  render  up  his  soul : 

"Oh!  Jesus  of  Nazareth!  Jesus  the  Messiah!  Jesus 
the  Prophet!  Jesus  the  Savior  of  the  world!"  said 
Caiaphas,  laughing.  "How  comes  it  you  did  not  fore- 


GOLGOTHA  183 

tell  your  own  fate?  Why  do  you  not  begin  by  saving 
yourself,  you  who  were  to  save  all  the  world?" 

"You  call  yourself  the  Son  of  God,  O,  Nazarene!" 
added  the  banker  Jonas.  ' '  We  shall  take  stock  in  your 
celestial  power  if  you  now  come  down  from  that  cross ! 
— Son  of  God,  come  down! — What!  You  prefer  to 
remain  nailed  to  those  beams  like  a  nightbird  on  a  barn 
door? — You  may  be  called  Jesus  the  Crucified,  but  not 
Jesus  the  Son  of  God! — " 

"You  always  seemed  so  reliant  upon  the  Lord  as 
your  special  protector,"  exclaimed  Doctor  Baruch; 
"why  do  you  not  call  him  now  to  your  help?  If  he 
is  your  special  protector,  if  you  are,  indeed,  his  son, 
why  does  he  not  thunder  against  us?  Why  does  he 
not  transform  your  cross  into  a  rose-bush,  whence 
you  could  fly,  radiant,  to  heaven?" 

Hootings  and  mockeries  from  the  Roman  soldiers 
accompanied  the  cowardly  outrages  of  the  Pharisees. 
Suddenly  Genevieve  noticed  the  body  of  Jesus  quiver 
at  every  limb,  and  he  made  one  last  effort  to  turn  his 
heavy  head  heavenward.  A  last  glimmer  of  life  illu- 
mined his  celestial  visage,  a  heart-rending  smile  con- 
tracted his  lips,  and  he  murmured  in  an  expiring  voice : 

"Lord! — Lord! — Have  mercy  upon  me! — " 

His  head  then  sank  upon  his  breast — the  friend  of 
the  poor  and  the  afflicted  had  ceased  to  live. 

Genevieve  fell  upon  her  knees  and  burst  into  tears. 

That  instant  she  heard  an  angry  voice  cry  out  behind 
her: 


184  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

"Here  is  my  fugitive  slave!  Oh!  I  felt  certain  I 
would  find  her  in  the  tracks  of  the  accursed  Nazarene, 
whom  final  justice  has  been  at  last  meted  out  to.  Seize 
her!  Bind  her  hands  behind  her  back!  Oh!  This 
time  my  revenge  shall  be  terrible!" 

Genevieve  turned  around  and  saw  her  master,  Seig- 
neur Gremion. 

"Now,"  said  Genevieve,  "I  can  die — since  he  is  dead 

who  promised  the  slaves  to  break  their  chains!" 
*  *  *  •  • 

Although  she  had  to  undergo  the  most  cruel  tor- 
ments at  the  hands  of  her  master,  Genevieve  did  not 
die,  seeing  it  is  she  who  wrote  this  account  for  her 
husband  Pergan. 

After  having  narrated  what  she  heard  and  what  she 
knew  of  the  life  and  death  of  the  young  master  of 
Nazareth,  Genevieve  would  deem  it  preposterous  on 
her  part  to  dare  speak  of  what  happened  to  herself, 
after  the  sad  day  when  she  saw  the  friend  of  the 
poor  and  the  afflicted  expire  upon  the  cross. 

All  that  Genevieve  will  say  is  that,  taking  for  exam- 
ple the  resignation  of  Jesus,  she  endured  patiently  the 
cruelties  of  Seigneur  Gremion.  Out  of  attachment  for 
her  mistress  Aurelia,  Genevieve  submitted  to  every- 
thing, not  to  be  separated  from  her  dear  mistress. 
Thus  she  remained  a  slave  of  Seigneur  Gremion 's  wife 
during  the  two  years  of  her  sojourn  in  Judea. 

Alas !  As  a  natural  sequel  of  human  ingratitude,  six 
months  after  the  death  of  the  poor  young  man  of 


GOLGOTHA  185 

Nazareth,  his  memory  was  effaced  from  the  people's! 
mind.     Only  a  few  of  his  disciples  piously  preserved^ 
his  remembrance.1 

Often  did  Genevieve  say  to  herself  with  a  sigh: 

"Poor  young  master  of  Nazareth!  When  he  an- 
nounced that  one  day  the  fetters  of  the  slaves  would 
be  broken,  he  only  listened  to  the  aspirations  of  his 
angelic  soul.  The  future  was  to  give  the  lie  to  that 
generous  hope." 

In  fact,  when,  after  two  years  spent  in  Judea  with 
her  mistress  Aurelia,  Genevieve  returned  to  Gaul,  she 
found  there  slavery  still  in  force,  as  atrocious,  perhaps 
even  more  atrocious  than  it  had  been  before. 

To  this  narrative  which  she  wrote  for  her  husband 
Fergan,  Genevieve  has  attached  a  little  silver  cross 
given  to  her  by  Joanna,  the  wife  of  Seigneur  Chuza, 
shortly  after  the  death  of  the  young  man  of  Nazareth. 
Some  few  people,  Joanna  being  of  their  number,  who 
preserved  a  pious  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  friend 
of  the  afflicted,  had  little  crosses  made  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  instrument  of  the  death  of  Jesus,  and  either 


1  The  sentence  that  smote  the  events  once  more  upset  their  ex- 
master  carried  immediately  wide-  pectatlons,  and  caused  them  to 
spread  discouragement  among  his  confound  the  new  Christ  with  all 
followers.  The  large  crowds,  ap-  the  previous  Messiahs,  the  prom- 
parently  so  devoted,  that  had  ises  and  the  efforts  of  whom  had 
been  seen  running  from  all  sides  remained  without  lasting  effect. 
to  hear  his  voice,  dispersed.  They  The  emotion  produced  by  the 
had  believed  In  the  external  and  death  of  Jesus  left  hardly  any 
sudden  formation  of  the  King-  traces  behind  It  in  the  country, 
dom  of  God  of  a  new  social  or-  It  was  lost  in  a  mass  of  other 
der  which'  according  to  the  emotions."  —  Salvador.  Jeans 
word  of  the  son  of  Mary,  would  Christ  and  Hit  Doctrine,  vol.  II, 
hnvc  carried  the  last  to  the  first  p.  212. 
place.  The  natural  course  of 


186  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

carried  the  same,  or  distributed  them  among  their 
friends  after  having  deposited  them  on  the  summit  of 
Mount  Calvary,  upon  the  ground  on  which  that  just 
man's  blood  had  flowed. 

Genevieve  knows  not  whether  she  is  some  day  to  be 
a  mother.  If  such  happiness  should  fall  to  her  lot — 
but  is  it  happiness  to  the  slave  to  bring  to  life  other 
slaves? — she  will  join  this  little  silver  cross  to  the  fam- 
ily relics  that  the  descendants  of  Joel,  the  brenn  of 
the  tribe  of  Karnak,  are  bid  to  transmit  to  themselves 
from  generation  to  generation. 

May  this  little  cross  be  the  symbol  of  the  future 
emancipation  of  our  old  and  heroic  Gallic  race ! 

May  one  day  the  words  of  Jesus  be  realized  for  our 
children's  children — THE  CHAINS  OF  THE  SLAVES  WILL 

BE  BROKEN. 


EPILOGUE 

I,  Fergan,  the  husband  of  Genevieve,  add  these  few 
words  to  the  preceding  narrative  of  Genevieve 's: 

Forty  years  have  elapsed  since  my  well  beloved,  and 
ever  lamented  wife  wrote  down  the  things  she  had 
seen  during  her  sojourn  in  Judea. 

The  hope  Genevieve  had  gathered  from  the  words 
of  Jesus — The  chains  of  the  slaves  will  be  broken — has 
not  been  realized,  and  never  will  be  realized.  More 
than  forty  years  have  elapsed  since  that  promise  was 
made,  and  slavery  still  prevails.  During  all  these  forty 
and  odd  years  I  have  continued  unceasingly  to  turn  my 
wheel  for  my  masters,  just  as  my  son  Judicael  now 
does,  seeing  that  he,  like  his  father,  is  a  weaver  slave. 

Poor  child  of  my  old  age — it  is  now  twelve  years 
since  Genevieve  died  in  giving  life  to  you — you  are,  if 
anything,  still  more  frail  of  body  and  timid  of  disposi- 
tion than  myself ! 

Alas!  As  was  foreseen  by  my  grandfather  Sylvest, 
our  race  has  degenerated  more  and  more. 

Poor  child  of  my  old  age,  I  have  not,  as  our  ances- 
tors, whether  free  or  slave,  but  ever  brave,  any  heroic 
or  tragic  account  to  hand  down  to  you  of  my  life — 

My  life  you  are  acquainted  with,  my  son;  should  I 


188  THE  SILVER  CROSS. 

live  a  hundred  years,  it  will  continue  to  be  what  it  has 
hitherto  been,  as  far  back  as  I  can  recollect.  It  can 
be  summed  up  in  these  words : 

"To  rise  early  every  morning  to  weave  cloth;  and 
go  to  bed  at  night.  To  interrupt  the  long  hours  of 
my  monotonous  work  in  order  to  eat  a  meager  pittance. 
Sometimes  to  be  beaten,  either  on  account  of  my  mas- 
ter's whim,  or  his  bad  temper." 

Such  has  been  my  condition  since  I  knew  myself, 
my  poor  child !  Such,  no  doubt,  will  be  yours !  Alas ! 
Degenerate  Gauls,  neither  you  nor  I  will  have  aught 
to  add  to  the  worthy  traditions  of  our  ancestors. 

I  write  and  sign  this  forty  and  odd  years  after  my 
wife  Genevieve  saw  the  young  man  of  Nazareth  done 
to  death. 

To  you,  my  son  Judicael,  I,  Fergan.  the  son  of  Pearon, 
bequeath,  in  order  that  you  may  preserve  and  trans- 
mit to  your  descendants,  these  narratives  of  our  family, 
accompanied  with  these  following  relics: — 

The  gold  sickle  of  our  ancestress  Hena ; 

The  brass  bell  of  my  great-grandfather  Guilhern; 

The  iron  collar  of  my  grandfather  Sylvest ;  and 

The  little  silver  cross  that  Genevieve  left  to  me. 

•  »  •  •  • 

I  Gomer,  the  son  of  Judicael,  was  seventeen  years 
old  when  my  father  died — that  is  fifty  years  ago  from 
the  date  when  I  write  these  lines.  As  my  grandfather 
and  my  father  foresaw,  my  slave's  life  has  been,  like 
theirs,  monotonous  and  gloomy. 


EPILOGUE.  189 

I  blush  with  shame  at  the  thought  that  neither  I, 
nor  you,  my  son  Mederick,  no  doubt,  will,  in  turn, 
have  aught  to  add  to  the  narratives  of  our  ancestors. 
Alas!  They  have  not  yet  come,  perhaps  never  will, 
those  days  of  which  our  grandmother  Genevieve  spoke 
upon  the  faith  of  a  man  whom  she  calls  in  her  narra- 
tive the  young  master  of  Nazareth,  who  foretold  that 
one  day  the  chains  of  the  slaves  would  be  broken. 

To  you,  then,  my  son  Mederick,  I,  Gomer.  the  son  of 
Judicael,  bequeath  for  you  to  preserve,  and  transmit 
to  our  descendants,  these  family  relics  and  narratives. 


THE  END. 


DUE  2  WKS  FROM  DAE  RECEIVED 


A     000  038  530     2 


